How did we get here?
by Gagirl29
Summary: It's been 16 years since the night of the letter and Angela leaving with Jordan. They're now married and they should be happy, but in all good relationships, you sometimes have hardship. On hiatus for now...
1. How did we get here

**Part 1**

**How did we get here?**

**Author's note: I own nothing...enjoy!**

Angela VO: _How did we get here? Well, I_ know _how we got _here, _like in our bedroom, but __how did we get to this point in our lives? Why do we have such a hard time communicating? _

"Jordan, that's not what I meant! All I said was I don't understand why you have to leave tonight. Why can't you meet the guys in the morning." Angela says, as she sits on the bed watching Jordan pack. "I just want us to spend the night together."

"Angela, don't be like this, babe. I spent last night with you. Besides, I've gotta go. We have to be in Dallas by Thursday morning. If we leave tonight, I won't have to rush around when we get there. We have so much to do before our show Thursday night." Jordan was busy shoving his clothes into his suitcase.

Angela gets up and walks over to the window. As she looks out, all she can see is Jordan's reflection in the glass as he walks toward the bathroom. Tears start to roll down her face, as she angrily wipes them away.

Angelo VO: _He knows I love him and I miss him so much. He has to know. Doesn't he?_

Realizing how upset she is, Jordan walks up behind her and wraps his arms around her. He brushes her hair away and kisses her on the neck. He starts rocking her from side to side. "C'mon, Red, don't do this. You know I'll be home next Sunday. I promise I'll be home with you guys for 2 weeks with no interruptions." Even though her hair hasn't been red for many years, he still calls her that.

"Do you have to drive? Why can't you stay home with me tonight and fly out in the morning? The guys will be fine on the bus without you. We've had so little time together these last few months." It's all she can do not to beg him to stay.

"Babe, if I stay home tonight, you'll only end up mad at me. I won't be any good to you here, because all I can think about is finalizing the last leg of our tour. Please understand!" He's been consumed with this tour forever and it's starting to take a toll.

"What I understand, Jordan, is that our whole life revolves around you, and the band, and the tour. I just thought for once, you could put me first. I don't ask for much, but I wanted this time with you. Just a few hours. I made plans. I even asked Mom to let Maddie stay over tonight."

"Angela, I'll make it up to you. I promise," he whispers in her ear, before squeezing her tight. "Just please stop crying. I can't stand to see you like this!"

Angela VO: _Oh my god. If he only knew why I wanted him to stay tonight... Well, besides THAT, which we don't do near enough these days. I really need to tell him. Will it change everything? What am I thinking, of course it will change everything! _Why can't I just tell him? How do I tell him? Should I just come out and say it? Why can't I ever find the right words? What's the worst that can happen?_ _

Angela just stands there, quietly crying with Jordan's arms around her. He knows that she's upset, but he can't give in to her. He shouldn't have even came home for a few days, but he'd been gone for almost a month already and he needed to be with her, with their daughter. He really missed her, missed them. He'd only been home two days, but he knew he had to go.

After 12 years of marriage and 8 of those years touring with his band, Residue, this wasn't the first time they'd be apart. Residue's worldwide success had left precious little time for Jordan to spend with his family these days. Angela and Maddie were his life. He hated to be apart from them, but he only had 4 months left to tour and then he planned to take a break, a long break, and enjoy his success. Shane and Tommy had agreed.

It wasn't like they could just take Maddie out of school so that they could go with him like they had when she was little. She was in 5th grade now. It was very important to Jordan that Maddie go to school and do well. He wanted her to have a normal childhood, as normal as it could be with a dad who is the lead singer of a rock band.

After several minutes of them standing there with neither of them saying a word, Angela pulls away and turns to Jordan. "Well, if you have to leave tonight, I'll finish packing for you. Go find your daughter and tell her goodbye." She doesn't say anything else to him, she just walks into the bathroom and shuts the door.

Jordan just sighs and runs his hands through his now black, chin length hair. Not knowing what to do, he turns and walks out of the bedroom and goes in search of his daughter, even though he can hear Angela sobbing in the other room.


	2. History repeats itself

**History repeats itself.**

**A/N:** **I own nothing...**

It had been two hours since Jordan had kissed Angela goodbye and promised to call later. Two hours since he had gotten in the cab headed to Pittsburgh to meet up with Shane and Tommy. Angela was still in the same spot, on their bed. The bed that was in the bedroom in their home in Three Rivers. The house that was just down the street from her mom's house, the house that Angela grew up in.

Jordan had offered to buy them a bigger home, in a bigger city, but Angela preferred to be close to her mom. After everything that Patty had been through over the years she had needed her daughters. With her divorce from Graham after finding out about his affair with that Hallie woman and then finding out that they were having a child together, she had had a nervous break down. Things had not been easy for the whole family for a long time. Both Angela and Danielle had grown closer to Patty, but Danielle now lived in Philadelphia with her husband, Brian, the same Brian who had given Angela so much crap over the years. But Three Rivers was where she was needed.

"God, why am I so emotional? It's not like this is the first time he's left!" She yells out loud.

Angela VO: _Why do I have to be like this? Why do I let him tie me in knots? He's just a man. No, that's not right. Jordan Catalano will never be _just _a man. But still, he shouldn't have this much control over me._

Patty had came by and picked Maddie up to stay over. There was no sense in changing their plans, just because Jordan couldn't stay. Angela would have the house to herself. The only problem was, her mind was over-thinking everything in typical Angela fashion. And lately, when Angela was alone, all she could think about was Jordan and high school and the first time she found out she was expecting his child, 15 years before...

_June 1996 Summer before Senior year_

"Angela! Stop, wait!" Sharon yelled after her as Angela ran down the stairs of the Cherski house and out the front door. "Geez, Angela, it's not the end of the world!"

Angela stopped when she reached the sidewalk in front of the house, tears streaming down her face. Angela felt worse than she had ever felt in her life. Worse than finding out Jordan had slept with Rayanne. Worse than when her dad told her he was moving out. And worse than when Jordan had left three weeks before with Shane and Tommy and all their stuff in Red headed to LA to pursue his dream of getting a record deal. They didn't break up and he promised to keep in touch with her, but he was on the other side of the country.

Angela VO: _Oh my GOD. What am I going to do? How can this be happening? Why now?_

"Sharon, seriously. It _is_ the end of the world as I know it! What am I supposed to do? How did this happen? Well, I _know _how it happened. I just can't believe it!" Angela continued down the sidewalk, heading home. "I'll call you later, Sharon. Thanks for being here for me. Please don't say anything, ok? I have to try to get a hold of Jordan. He has to be the first to know."

"No, problem, Chase-face. I'm here if you need me." Sharon just watches as Sharon walks away.

* * *

><p>"Mom, I'm home!" Angela walks into the kitchen where Patty is busy putting the groceries away. She walks up and kisses her mom on the cheek. "Hey, Mom. Did anyone call for me?"<p>

"Hey, honey. I don't know, I just walked in the door and I haven't checked the answering machine. Why don't you go do that." Patty looks up and seeing for the first time that Angela has been crying. "Angela, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, Mom, I guess I'm just really missing Jordan." She walks into the hall to check the messages.

She sits on the floor with her back against the wall as she listen through them. One from Katie, Danielle's best friend, one from Camille, mom's best friend. Two messages from Rayanne, wanting to know if Angela wanted to go out tonight. The very last message was from Jordan.

"Angela, hey. It's Jordan. I'm sorry that I like haven't called before now. So much has happened and I just wanted to hear your voice. See, we were going to stay with Shane's uncle, but he won't let us, so we've been busy trying to find a place to, you know, crash or whatever. This trip has not been fun, like at all. Why did we ever think we could just come to LA and make it big, huh? And anyway, I miss you. Really miss you. I guess I'll call you later or whatever. Hey, and I just wanted to say I, you know, love you. Later."

Angela VO: _I miss him. I miss him so much, it hurts to think about it. He's all the way on the other side of the country and all I want is for him to be here with me. I've got to tell him. I'll tell him when he calls later._

Angela gets up from the floor and heads up the stairs to her room. "Mom, I'm gonna lay in my room for a while, ok? If anyone calls tell them I'm not feeling well. Except Jordan. If he calls, make sure I get it."

"Ok, honey. Just get some rest." Patty continues to put the groceries away.

* * *

><p>Angela is lying face down on her bed, listening to a tape that Jordan made for her of all the songs that he had written about her. She's missing him more than ever and she's trying to find the words to tell him, to tell him that she's going to have his baby. Her eyes are red and puffy and her nose is all stopped up because she'd been crying all afternoon.<p>

"Angela, honey, Jordan is on the phone. He says to hurry because he doesn't have much time!"

"Thanks, Mom." She reaches over and picks up the phone, holding her hand over the receiver. "I've got it."

She sighs before she puts the phone to her ear. "Hey, Jordan. I've been thinking about you all day."

"Hey, Ang. I'm glad I caught you. I don't have a lot of change and I can't talk that long. I miss you." She can hear cars going by in the background and she guesses that he's on a pay phone.

"It's ok, I just wanted to hear your voice, you know. I miss you a lot. And I haven't been sleeping that well. I've been waiting for you to call all day." She can hear herself rambling but she can't stop it. "See, Jordan...I've got to tell you something. Don't be mad, ok. I mean, I know you're gonna get mad and I wanna tell you in person, but you know, I can't 'cause you're there and I'm here. God, I don't know how to tell you this. Why can't I ever just say what I mean to you? I have the hardest.."

"Hey, just say it, ok. I can't talk much longer."

"Ok, well, the thing is..." She takes a deep breath, "Jordan, I'm pregnant. I know it's not what we wanted and I know you're in LA. I don't expect you to, like drop everything. I don't know what to do. I'm scared and I just had to tell you."

She's crying uncontrollably now. Jordan can barely hear what she's saying, but he heard her say those two words. He's in shock, but he can't get a word in anyway because Angela just kept going. "I just found out this morning, so it's not like I knew or anything. Don't be mad, ok? I'll figure it out. I just thought you should know, or whatever. Anyway, I know you've got to..."

"ANGELA, would you just shut up for a minute? Don't cry, baby, don't cry. I'm outta change, I gotta go. Hey, I love you. I'm coming home." He doesn't say anything else, he just hangs up the phone.

_Present day_

Angela's still lying on the bed with the TV on, but she's not paying attention. She's just staring off into space when her cell phone rings. She picks it up from the nightstand and sees Jordan's name on the display before she hits the ignore button and puts it back on the table. It rings again and she just lets it ring.

Angela VO: _I really don't want to talk to him right now. I don't want him to hear the tears in my voice or ask me what's wrong. I don't want to have to tell him on the phone and that's what will happen if I talk to him. He can _ALWAYS _tell when something is bothering me. He'll know it's more than me being mad at him for not staying._

The phone rang again and again, but she didn't pick it up. Finally when she thought he had given up, her phone beeped to let her know that she had a text message. Picking it up from the table again, she read, "_Angela, Don't be like this, please. I love you. You have to talk to me. I had to go...it's my JOB. Call me when you feel like it. I'll be here."_

Angela VO: _I can't call you, Jordan. I can't call you until I figure out how to tell you that I'm pregnant again. I'm pregnant with a baby that you made very clear that you didn't want to have until you were finished touring with your precious band. See, it's not like the first time. Not really. I'm just scared to tell him. As painful as it was losing my first child, our first child, things still turned out great. I didn't make Jordan come home from LA, he did that on his own, but we ended up together, like living together. This time, we may end up apart..._

She picks up his pillow, the pillow that still smells like him, and hugs it to her with tears still streaming down her face.


	3. Why are you like this

**Why are you like this?**

**A/N: I own nothing...**

Early Saturday morning, Jordan was sitting on the sofa on the bus, distractedly strumming his guitar. He should have been focusing on the details for tonight's show, but all he could think about was Angela. After two nights in Dallas, two sold out performances, the guys were heading to do a Saturday night show in New Orleans and then moving on to Gulf Port on Sunday. Jordan just wanted to skip it all and head home, but he knew he couldn't. He'd be home soon enough.

Jordan VO: _What the hell is going on with her? Why doesn't she want to talk to me? This is too weird. Something's wrong, I can tell it._

He hadn't heard from Angela since he left Three Rivers on Tuesday afternoon. He'd been calling her everyday, but she still wasn't answering her phone. He'd emailed her and sent her text messages, but she refused to talk to him. He called Patty, but she said she didn't know why Angela wouldn't talk to him. She just said that she knew Angela loved Jordan and maybe he just needed to give her some time.

He talked to Maddie on the phone every night, but Angela never got on the line. He always asked Maddie to put her mom on, but she always told him that mom was busy, she'd call him later, but she never did. She sent him one text message. "_I love you. I'll call you soon."_

The phone on the cushion beside his leg rings and Jordan picks it up to look at the display.

"Hey, Baby girl. How're you doing this morning? You're up early." He can't help but smile. His daughter always makes him happy. She was so sweet and innocent. Just listening to her chatter lightened his mood.

"Hey, Daddy! I just wanted to call you and ask about your show. Did you do good last night? Did you see any crazy people in the audience?"

"Maddie-paddie, there are always some crazy people in the audience. That's ok, though...I have to share the stage with the two craziest people in the place every night. Your Uncle Shane and Uncle Tommy are crazy, crazy!" Shane and Tommy were like brothers to Jordan. They'd been with him since high school, they'd been around through it all with him and Angela. They were even at the hospital when Maddie was born. "And we did real good. The audience cheered really loud when Uncle Shane turned his drums over at the end."

"Daddy, Uncle Shane is crazy. Uncle Tommy isn't, though. I don't know how he puts up with you guys." He sits there smiling, loving to hear his baby girl laugh. "Hey, are you still coming home next week? I'll be on Spring Break and I want you to be here with me. Grandpa said Uncle Jamie could come stay the night with us while you're here and we want you to go to the fair with us."

"Didn't I promise that I would be home? I'll be home with you and mom for two whole weeks. And I'd love to take you and Jamie to the fair. It'll be fun. You think about what else you want us to do, ok?" He was looking forward to being at home in his bed for a few weeks. The bed on the bus was comfortable enough, but he was missing his wife, more so because he knew she was upset with him. And he wanted to spend some quality time with his daughter. Every time he got home, he noticed more and more that Maddie was growing up without him. Her 11th birthday was coming up way too soon.

They talked a while longer. Maddie told him about her science project and about how Graham and 13 year old Jamie had taken her fishing a few days before. He was glad that Angela had finally forgiven her father and that she was letting Maddie spend time with he and Jamie. He knew that she still didn't like Hallie, but she needed her father and Maddie needed her Grandpa. Graham was a good guy. He'd just made some mistakes.

As Maddie finished telling him about the fire drill they had at school Jordan started thinking about Angela again. "Hey, Maddie. Is your mom up? I really want to talk to her."

"Hold on, Dad. I'll go check." He can hear her walking up the stairs. "MOM! Dad's on the phone! MOM." He listens as Maddie goes into his bedroom in search of Angela. "I think mom's sick or something."

"What do you mean, sick? Is she ok?"

"Well, she's in the bathroom. It sounds like she's throwing up, but I can't be sure because the water's running." He hears her knocking on the door. "Mom, are you ok?"

"Maddie, you've got to get your mom to talk to me. Tell her that I'll wait until she comes out of the bathroom." He can hear Maddie trying to talk to Angela through the bathroom door.

"Daddy, she says she can't talk right now. She says that she promises that she'll call you when she gets out of the shower in a few minutes."

"Baby girl, is your mom alright?" He doesn't want to ask Maddie the questions that he needs answers for, he doesn't want to pull his daughter into whatever is going on with him and Angela, but he needs to know.

"Well, Dad, she's been crying a lot lately. She doesn't want to do anything with me when I get home from school. I spent Tuesday night with Grandma after you left and then I rode the bus home on Wednesday. When I got here, mom was lying on the couch watching TV in her jammies. It's been like that everyday this week. That's why I think she's sick. When I'm sick, I just wanna lay around. And now she's throwing up, too."

Jordan VO: _What the hell? Is she really that sick? Why wouldn't she just tell me that she was sick? And she's been crying? Well, I know she's mad at me, but this isn't like her._

"Hey, Maddie. Go ahead and call Grandma, ok? Tell her daddy said to call because your mom's sick. See if you can go stay with her today. Then tell your mom that she better call me back. Daddy loves you, baby girl. I gotta go, ok?"

"Ok, Daddy. I'll call you tonight. Love you, too! Bye." Jordan ends the call and immediately texts Patty. "_Patty, Mad says Ang is sick. I told her to call you. Pls go check? Let me know. -J"_

"GOD DAMN IT ALL!" Jordan yells in frustration.

"Dude, what the hell is wrong with you?" Shane yells from his bunk. "I'm trying to sleep, if that's ok with you."

"Whatever, Shane. Sorry, go back to sleep." Jordan gets up and fixes himself a cup of coffee.

"I'm awake now, Jay. Thanks for letting me sleep in. It's not like I need my beauty sleep." Shane jumps down from his bunk and hits the bathroom.

Shane comes out and sits beside Jordan on the sofa. "So, what's been bugging you, man? And don't say nothing, 'cause I know you better than that."

"Just leave it, Shane. I really don't want to talk about it." Jordan starts to chew on his thumbnail.

"Jay, c'mon. Tell me. What the fuck has got you in this pissy mood lately? Even Tommy noticed something was up and he doesn't notice shit."

"It's nothing, Shane. Angela won't talk to me, that's all. And I just got off the phone with Maddie and she said Angela was sick. Like, throwing up sick, and laying around the house in her pajamas all day. She got pissed at me because I wouldn't stay home Tuesday night, but she should have at least told me she was sick. She wanted me to fly to Dallas on Wednesday and I told her I couldn't. She gave me the cold shoulder when I left, but I thought she'd get over it. Jesus, Shane, it's not like it's the first time I had to leave!" He puts his hands in his hair and sighs. "We've gotta take a break, Shane. When this tour is over, we're gonna wait a good long while before we head out again. I've gotta be there for my family."

"I know what you're saying, Jordan, believe me. We just gotta make it until August." They were wrapping the tour up in New York at Madison Square Garden in August. Only 3 and a half months from now. "Dude, maybe she is just sick. You worry too much." Shane pushes him over and gets up, heading back to his bunk. "I'm going back to bed, so keep it down. And, Jay...she loves you, man. Just let it blow over. She can't stay mad forever and she ain't going nowhere. We'll be home next weekend."

He sits in silence for a while with his head back against the cushions. Just as he starts to doze off, his cell phone rings. He looks down and sees that it's Angela.

He doesn't give her a chance to to say anything. "Angela, what the hell is going on? Why haven't you called me? I told you I was sorry. What do you expect me to do, cancel the fucking tour?"

"Well, hello to you to." She says quietly into the phone once he stops.

"Dammit, Angela. I've been worried. And now Maddie says that you're sick. Are you ok?" He didn't mean to snap at her, but his frustration was getting the best of him.

"Jordan, I'm ok. I think I've just come down with some bug or something. Don't worry. You didn't have to send Mom over, either. I'm not a baby. I don't need someone to take care of me, I'm doing fine all on my own."

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean, babe? I was worried. I hate it that I can't be there when you need me. I just thought your mom could take Maddie for the day so that you could rest." Shit, why did they have to do this? "Angela, Maddie said you've been laying around the house all week and crying, too. Is everything alright? Are you just sick or is something else going on?"

"I'm fine, Jordan. You're worrying for nothing. Look, I've gotta go. Mom and Maddie are getting ready to leave and I'm about to go to the grocery store." He can tell that she's trying to rush him off the phone and he's not ready to hang up.

"Angela, talk to me. What's wrong? Why are you like this?"

"Like what, Jordan? I'm not being like anything. I don't feel good, that's all. I love you. I'll see you next weekend." He can't believe that she's just dismissing him like this.

"Babe, don't hang up yet. I haven't talked to you all week. Just give me a few more minutes, ok? You know I love you, right? I really hate being away from you. When I get home next week, I'll make it up to you. I can't stand it when you're mad at me." He doesn't understand why she's so upset, but he'll do whatever it takes to make her happy. She's his rock, the one thing he can always count on. She's what keeps him going. He can't take it knowing she is still mad at him.

"I'm not mad, Jordan, I'm not. I just don't feel good. I'll be fine by the time you get here. I'll call you tomorrow. I do love you. Maddie's calling for me, so I'm going now. Love you. Bye." He's left holding the phone in his hand after she ends the call.

Jordan VO: _What the fuck was that? Did she just hang up on me? I don't need this shit right now. I'm done trying to talk to her. I don't know what's going on with her, but it'll have to wait until I get home. I've got to get my head wrapped around tonight's show. FUCK!_

He gets up and heads back to his bunk. He may as well sleep the rest of the way to New Orleans. He's tired of trying to figure out what's going on in her head. Maybe if he sleeps, he can pretend that everything's ok, even though he has the feeling that things are just about to get worse.


	4. I'll take care of you

**I'll take care of you.**

**A/N: I own nothing...**

_February1997_

Angela rolled over and turned the alarm off. "Jordan, wake up. You gotta get up and go to work." 19 year old Jordan rolled on to his back and brushed the hair from his eyes. "C'mon, sleepyhead. You don't want to be late." She kisses him on the cheek and pushes her very pregnant self up from the bed.

She got up and padded across the cold floor of their apartment to the bathroom. Being 8 and a half months pregnant meant she spent most of her time in the bathroom these days. She couldn't wait to get this baby out of her. Being 17 and pregnant was definitely not how she pictured her senior year of high school, but she was and she was making the best of it. The best thing to come out of all of it was that she and Jordan were together, like really together.

Last summer when Jordan came home from LA, she didn't know what to expect. She knew he would be angry. She thought he would insist on her getting rid of the baby, but she knew she couldn't do that. She was certain that he would accuse her of ruining his life, but he hadn't. In fact, he had dropped Shane and Tommy off and came straight to her. When she answered her front door and saw him standing there, she started crying. He just opened his arms and pulled her to him. They stood on the front porch of her parents' home for a long time just holding each other. She knew then that they were going to keep their baby and they were going to do it together.

Since that day, the two of them had been inseparable. Jordan went to work full-time at his uncle's garage and they moved into the apartment above the garage. Patty and Graham weren't very cooperative at first, but once they realized that Jordan was going to stand by their daughter, they accepted it. Their only stipulation was that Angela had to finish school, even if it meant summer school. They decided not to get married yet, they wanted to wait until they were both older.

Angela had started back to school in September. Jordan, having graduated the year before with the help of Angela and Brian, took Angela to school every morning and picked her up every afternoon, until two weeks ago when the doctor told her she was overdoing it. He told her that her blood pressure was at a dangerous level and she needed to be careful. He feared that she was developing Preeclampsia, which could be harmful to her and the baby. Ricky and Rayanne stopped by with her school work every afternoon, so that she could keep up with the class.

So here she was, trying to get Jordan ready so that he could get downstairs to the garage because he was opening up today. She had been trying to take it easy and she knew with Jordan working downstairs she had nothing to worry about. He checked on her all day long.

Angela VO:_ I love him. And he loves me. We're really doing this, we're going to have a baby. He's going to be such a good dad. I wonder if our son will look just like him? I hope so..._

She was just putting the filter into the coffeemaker when the phone rang. Jordan is coming out of the bathroom, so he picks it up.

"Hello. Wait, what? Danielle, slow down. I can't understand you. Danielle, stop!" He motions for Angela to come over and take the phone. "Hey, Dani, talk to Angela." He hands the phone to Angela and walks into the kitchen to finish making the coffee.

"Hey, Danielle, what's wrong? WHAT! No way. How do you know that? Where's Dad right now? He just left, just got his things and left? Oh my god!" Angela is standing there shocked and she begins to shake. Jordan walks up to her with a questioning look on his face. "Danielle, tell Mom not to leave. I'll have Jordan bring me to the house right away. I love you, too. No, don't leave her. I'm on my way. Bye." Angela starts to cry.

"Angela, what's going on? I couldn't even understand Danielle. She was like crying hysterically." Jordan gets very uncomfortable when it comes to emotions.

"Jordan, my dad left my mom last night. He packed his things and moved in with Hallie. Apparently, they have been having an affair for the last year." She reaches out and hugs Jordan to her. "Will you please take me to Mom's? She needs me."

"Of course I will." He kisses her and sits down on the sofa so that he can put his boots on. He then grabs his keys from the table and shrugs into his jacket. Angela puts her shoes on and grabs her jacket, he helps her put it on. Seeing how upset she is, he pulls her into a hug. "Angela, I know you're upset, but you have to be careful. The doctor told you that it's not good for the baby for you to, you know, get all stressed out and stuff. Take it easy, ok? I love you, babe. I'm here for you, no matter what happens with your mom and dad." He kisses her softly and wipes her tears before grabbing her hand and pulling her out the door.

* * *

><p>Jordan VO: <em>What did we do to deserve this? Now I'll never get to see his little face smiling up at me. I'll never get to hold him. I'll never get to hear his voice. I'll never get to see him walk or teach him to ride a bike. I'll never get to sing him a lullaby. Oh my god, how could this happen? How are we going to get through this? Shit, I can't let her see me cry. <em>

Jordan is sitting in Angela's hospital room, in a chair beside her bed. His head is down and there are tears streaming down his face. She's just lying there staring at the wall, rubbing her hand absently through his hair.

It had been only 3 days since they had received the call from Danielle. Angela had been very upset since the moment Danielle told her. She had spent the night with her mom that night. She had stayed with her all day and then came home two nights ago. She woke up yesterday morning hurting in her lower back. Not wanting to take any chances, Jordan rushed her to the Emergency room.

After the doctor came in to examine her, they admitted her to the hospital and started to monitor the baby. The baby had stopped moving and his heart rate was becoming very faint, so they decided to induce labor. With Angela having Preeclampsia, the doctors decided it was for the best. After 12 hours of labor, Angela delivered their son just after midnight that morning. It was too late. Their son was gone.

Jordan VO: _I promise you, Angela. I won't let you go through this again. You deserve better than this. It's all my fault in the first place. I got you pregnant, I caused this. I'll do everything in my power to make it up to you. I love you._

"Jordan, look at me." Angela puts her hand on Jordan's cheek and pulls his eyes up the hers. "Jordan, hey...don't cry. The doctor says it was no one's fault. He says that these things happen." She brushes the tears from his face. "Just promise me that I can stay with you, ok? I need to be with you. You aren't going to send me back to live with Mom, are you?"

"Oh, God, Angela. NO, I'm not gonna make you go back to live with your mom. How can you ask me that? I love you, babe. After everything, you think I'd let you go?" He kisses her hand and gets up to walk over to the window. "It just hurts, you know? I couldn't protect you, I couldn't protect our son."

As he stands there with his back to her, Angela tries to figure out what's going on in his head. "Jordan, there's nothing you could do. I guess it just wasn't meant to be. You can't be with me all the time and you can't stop life from happening."

"Angela, I promise you. The next time you're pregnant, I will not leave your side. You won't have to deal with all of this pain and heartache. I will be with you from beginning to end." Jordan walks over to the bed and lays down beside her, pulling her to him. "I love you, Angela, with all my heart. I will always be here to protect you. Just you try to get rid of me."

**A/N 2: Please review for me and let me know if you want me to continue. Thank you for reading my story. I hope you've enjoyed it so far. ~gagirl29**


	5. Moment of Truth

**Moment of truth.**

**A/N: I still own nothing. **

Angela walked back into the house on Wednesday morning after returning home from the doctor's office. The trip to the doctor only confirmed what she had already known, she was almost six weeks along. That would mean that she conceived in February when Jordan had taken a 10 day break from the tour. That's the longest he had been home since Christmas. His two day visit home last week had been a surprise.

She hung her car keys on the hook by the door and sat her purse down on the desk. All of a sudden, she became very nauseated and she took off for the downstairs bathroom. She barely made it in time. She spent most of her mornings feeling sick and nothing seemed to help. She had just finished brushing her teeth when her cell phone beeped to let her know she had a text message.

She took her phone from her pocket and looked at the display. She couldn't stop the smile that formed. "_Red, thinking of you. Can't wait to get home. Love you, babe! ~J." _

Angela VO: _He can be so sweet! I love it when he does things like this. Little things that seem effortless. I know that everything is going to be ok because he loves me. We will work through this. I just need to see him and I'll be fine._

She and Jordan had resumed their ritual of talking for a few minutes each night after his show, just before Angela went to bed. Neither of them brought up the week before and how Angela had avoided him. She acted like nothing happened and he figured that she'd tell him what was wrong when she was ready. When he asked if she was feeling better, she just told him that she was fine.

She went into the den and turned on the radio. She liked to listen to music while she cleans the house and not having felt up to it lately, the house was a mess. As she was straightening the magazines on the coffee table, she heard the familiar chords of _her _song coming through the speakers. As she always does, she stops and lets Jordan's voice take her over.

What if I wanted to break  
>Laugh it all off in your face<br>What would you do? (Oh, oh)  
>What if I fell to the floor<br>Couldn't take this anymore  
>What would you do, do, do?<p>

Come break me down  
>Bury me, bury me<br>I am finished with you

What if I wanted to fight  
>Beg for the rest of my life<br>What would you do?

You say you wanted more  
>What are you waiting for?<br>I'm not running from you (from you)

Come break me down  
>Bury me, bury me<br>I am finished with you  
>Look in my eyes<br>You're killing me, killing me  
>All I wanted was you<p>

I tried to be someone else  
>But nothing seemed to change<br>I know now, this is who I really am inside.  
>Finally found myself<br>Fighting for a chance.  
>I know now, this is who I really am.<p>

Come break me down  
>Bury me, bury me<br>I am finished with you, you, you.  
>Look in my eyes<br>You're killing me, killing me  
>All I wanted was you<p>

Come break me down (bury me, bury me)  
>Break me down (bury me, bury me)<br>Break me down (bury me, bury me)

(You say you wanted more)  
>What if I wanted to break...?<br>(What are you waiting for?)  
>Bury me, bury me<br>(I'm not running from you)  
>What if I<br>What if I  
>What if I<br>What if I  
>Bury me, bury me<p>

Jordan had written this song for her, performed it for her the night that he told her he hadn't written the infamous letter, the night he told her that he loved her for the first time. It had meant so much more to her than any letter could have because she knew that it was all Jordan. He didn't need someone else to give him the words, he had them the whole time. He was just as scared of her as she was of him. They were both scared to open up. She because of the hurt that he had caused and he because he had never known love or how to show it.

Angela VO: **sigh** _I can't wait for him to get home. I know I'll find the right words to tell him. We're going to be fine. We have to be._

* * *

><p>On Friday night Jordan, Shane and Tommy were sitting in the dressing room back stage at Philips Arena in Atlanta waiting to go on. Jordan had just gotten off the phone with Graham. He had called him to ask if Maddie could stay the weekend with Graham and Hallie. He wanted to surprise Angela. She wasn't expecting him to be home until Sunday, but after talking it over with the guys, he was going to catch a late flight out of Hartsfield-Jackson tonight and he was going to take a cab home.<p>

"It's all set. I really appreciate you guys doing this for me. It's just that when we left, Angela was mad at me. I want to surprise her, you know?" Jordan is thankful that his band mates are also his best friends. They understand him.

"No problem, Catalano. Go fix this thing with your woman. I'm tired of your grumpy ass, sitting around sighing all the time, anyway." Tommy winks at Shane as he's saying this and they all start to laugh.

Normally, Jordan would have slept on the bus that night and rode with the rest of the guys to Pittsburgh, where they stored the bus. This time, Shane and Tommy were going alone, which meant they would have to unload everything by themselves, but they told him not to worry about it. Shane would drop his stuff by the house one day next week. They were all looking forward to their break.

The stage manager knocked on the door letting them know that they were up in two minutes. Jordan pushed all thoughts of home from his mind as he stood up and stretched. He really loved being up on that stage, he loved the freedom of it. When he was on stage, he was completely in control.

"C'mon, boys. It's show time!" He slaps Tommy on the back as he walks by. "Break a leg."

Shane walks up and puts his arm across Jordan's shoulders. "Let's do this, Jay. Gotta get it over with so you can get home to your woman. I know you'll run out as soon as we get done, so I just wanted to tell you that I'll be here if you need me, man. Always." Shane gives him a squeeze and runs up ahead of him.

Not having time to think about what Shane meant, the three of them walk out on stage to the noise of the screaming fans. "Hello, Atlanta! We're Residue. Thanks for coming out. Hope you enjoy the show." For the next two hours, all Jordan thought about was his music.

* * *

><p>It was just after 3 am when Jordan made it home. Angela was sleeping on her stomach in one of his t shirts when Jordan walked into the bedroom. Not wanting to wake her just yet, he dropped his bag in front of the closet door and went right into the bathroom to take a shower. It had been a long day and he was ready to drop, but he hadn't had time to clean up after the show. He didn't want to climb in bed with his wife all smelly and sweaty.<p>

He got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist before standing in front of the sink to brush his teeth. He combed his hair back, not bothering the dry it. He was just so damn tired and he was ready to hold his wife in his arms. He threw his towel in the hamper and walked back into the bedroom.

He pulled the covers back and slid into bed behind Angela. Careful not to wake her, he coaxed her on to her side and pulled her back against him. He put his arm around her waist and buried his face in her hair.

Jordan VO: _Ahhhh, I missed this. How do I make myself leave her? I want to just stay like this forever, holding her in my arms. I love you, Red._

Minutes after Jordan closed his eyes he was sound asleep. For the rest of the night, neither of them moved.

* * *

><p>Angela slowly started to wake. At first, she thought she was dreaming. She was having a wonderful dream where Jordan was home, in bed with her and he had her wrapped in his arms. She didn't want to wake up to an empty bed, missing him, so she just laid there with her eyes closed enjoying the last thoughts of her dream before reality came crashing back. Once consciousness started to creep in, she realizes that she can feel Jordan's breath softly whispering across her shoulder. She tries to roll on to her back, but she can't because of his arms holding her in place.<p>

She quickly becomes wide awake. She can't stop the smile from lighting up her face.

Angela VO: _He's here. I'm not dreaming it. What a nice way to wake up. I wasn't expecting him until some time tomorrow. I love this man. I want to stay like this with him forever, with his arms holding me tight. When we're like this, nothing can bother us._

She gently pulls his arm loose so that she can turn toward him. She just wants to watch him sleep for a little while. As she studies his handsome face, she can't help but compare it to the boy that she fell in love with. Not that Jordan had aged much, he still had a very youthful appearance. His face was leaner and he had small laugh lines around his mouth. He had definitely matured well. She brushes her hand down the side of his face, pushing the hair back. She was still getting used to his black hair, too. Until recently, he had always worn it dark brown. She liked it either way.

As if he could feel her watching him, he slowly opened his eyes and smiled up at her. "Good morning, beautiful. I love you."

"Good morning to you." She leans in and gives him a lingering kiss. "I love you, too. And this is a nice surprise. I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow." She can't help but touch his face as she's talking to him.

He takes her hand and kisses it before pulling her down to rest her head on his shoulder. He just wants to lay with her. "I missed you, Red. I couldn't stay away." They lay that way for a long time, just listening to each other breathing. Jordan starts to draw shapes on her back with his fingers.

His hands become bolder as he moves one down over her lower back across her soft ass as the other hand gently caresses her breast. He can hear her breathing start to quicken as he continues to explore her body. She starts to move her hand up and down his side.

She leans up and gently kisses him. He deepens the kiss as his hand moves under her shirt and starts to pull it up over her back. He pulls her up so that he can take it off of her because he needs to feel her skin against him. He pulls her back down on top of him and continues to run his hands over her body. She puts both of her hands in his hair and kisses him with all the pent up passion she has. She wants him to know how much she missed him, missed this.

He pulls her body all the way on top of his and she puts her legs on either side of him. He pushes her into a sitting position, straddling his hips and slowly cups both of her breasts in his hands. He's looking up at her, just cupping her breasts and not moving. She smiles down at him, when she notices that he has a familiar look on his face. It's a look she has seen many many times over the years. It's that blank, confused look he gets when he isn't quite understanding what's going on.

"Angela?" he whispers. She can see his mind starting to work.

Angela VO: _Oh my god. All my life, I've wanted to have bigger breasts. I used to pray that God would make them grow. My prayers always went unanswered, until I was pregnant. A fact that did not go unnoticed by Jordan. SHIT! I didn't even get a chance to say anything to him. He's figured it out on his own._

Angela just looked down at Jordan, trying to come up with the words to say to him. She knew what he was asking. All she had to do was give him the answer. She opened her mouth to say the words to him, she was going to tell him. Before her mind could make her mouth move, her stomach started to churn and she jumped up off the bed, away from Jordan. She made it to the bathroom just in time.

She went over to the sink and brushed her teeth before returning to the bedroom. One look at Jordan, sitting up in the bed with his back against the headboard and his hands in his hair, told her that she didn't need to use words to tell him. He fully understood.

**A/N 2: The song is The Kill ~30STM. I know this song is used a lot, but it's my favorite and it fits the story. Thank you! ~gagirl29**


	6. Don't you know how much I love you?

**Don't you know how much I love you?**

**A/N: I own nothing...**

Jordan VO: _Angela's pregnant? So, that's what's been going on with her. Wow. We're going to have another baby. That's just...WOW._

Jordan is sitting up on the bed with his back against the headboard. He can hear Angela in the bathroom brushing her teeth. He's a little surprised, but he's not upset or anything. He didn't need to hear her throwing up to figure out that she was pregnant, because he knew her body well. She was so slim, even being in the early stages of pregnancy, he could tell a difference. His mind had started putting everything together before she ever jumped out of bed and ran for the bathroom.

He pushes his hands through his hair and just leaves them there. That's how Angela found him when she came back into the room. When they make eye contact, she's the first to look away. He can see her biting her lip and she looks terrified. Jordan slides back to his side of the bed to make room for her beside him, but she doesn't sit down. She walks over and picks up her shirt from the floor and pulls it back over her head.

"Angela, come here." Jordan pats the bed beside him.

"I'm just going to go down to the kitchen and make some tea. You want something?" She grabs her robe off the back of the chair and heads toward the door.

"You can make some tea in a minute. Come over here and talk to me." She ignores him and continues out of the room. Jordan gets up, goes over to his dresser and pulls out a pair of pajama pants, quickly shoving his legs into them. He's walking down the hall pulling them up. "Babe, slow down."

She's already half way down the stairs when he gets to them. He catches up to her when they reach the kitchen. He takes her by the hand and turns her around to face him. She's crying and she won't look him in the eye.

Jordan VO: _This is just fucking great! I haven't said anything yet and she won't even look at me._

"Angela, why are you crying? C'mon, look at me." He puts his hand on her chin and pulls her eyes up to his. "Why are you so upset?"

She pulls away from him and moves over to the counter. She takes the coffee pot over to the sink and fills it full of water before returning to the coffee maker. "What do you want for breakfast, Jordan? I'll fix you something."

"I don't want anything right now. What I want is for you to tell me why you're so upset. What did I do? I didn't say anything, so I know that can't be it." He moves over to the breakfast bar and pulls a stool out to sit down. "I want you to talk to me."

She doesn't say anything. She walks over to the stove and grabs the tea kettle. He can tell she doesn't want to talk about what just happened in the bedroom, but he's not going to let it go.

"Angela, I've already figured out that you're pregnant. God, it explains everything! That's why you were upset with me last week for not staying another night, isn't it? Were you planning to tell me then? And that's why you were sick, right? You could have told me on the phone, you know?"

She's standing in front of the sink with her back to him. He gets up and walks over to her, putting his arms around her waist and pulling her back against him. She doesn't relax, just holds her body stiff.

"Angela, say something." He takes her by the shoulders and turns her around to look at him. She's still crying. He's not upset about the baby, or the fact that she hadn't told him. He doesn't understand why she's upset. "What is it?"

She reaches up to wipe her face and takes a deep breath before looking him in the eye. "Jordan, I know that you don't want this baby. You made it perfectly clear when you first started touring that we weren't going to have another child until you were finished with your music career. I didn't plan for this to happen, but I am pregnant and no matter what you say, I'm keeping this baby." Having said that, she walks past him and out of the room.

Jordan is left standing there with a confused look on his face.

Jordan VO: _Wait a minute. What the hell just happened here? What did I say?_

* * *

><p>Angela is sitting on the sofa watching TV late that same day. She and Jordan hadn't talked since their confrontation in the kitchen that morning. She had went to take a shower and when she came back downstairs, Jordan was nowhere to be found. When she went to the garage, she noticed that Red was gone, the other Red. Jordan very rarely drove her anymore. He always seemed to take her out when he needed to get away from everything. Angela was always teasing him that he loved that car more than he loved her.<p>

Angela VO: _Where is he? He should have been home long before now. I really do need to talk to him. I can't believe what I said to him this morning. I didn't give him a chance to say anything. He must hate me. I knew how he felt about another baby, maybe he's more upset than I thought he would be._

She sits there for almost an hour before she hears the garage door open. A few minutes later, Jordan walks into the den with Maddie in tow.

"Hey, Maddie. I didn't think you were coming home until tomorrow. Didn't you and Grandpa have plans?"

"Hey, Mom! Nah, we didn't have any plans. I was just hanging out with Uncle Jamie." Maddie walks up to Jordan and puts her arms around his waist. "Isn't it great? Dad came home a day early. He picked me up from Grandpa's and we went out to the lake for a little while." She walks over and hugs her mom before running up the stairs.

Jordan is just standing there looking at Angela not saying anything. Angela puts her feet on the floor to make room for him to sit beside her. "Jordan, please come and sit beside me. We really do need to talk." He doesn't move, just continues to stand just inside the door looking at her.

"Jordan, I'm sorry about this morning, I overreacted. My hormones are all over the place. I'm sorry that we didn't talk like we should have. Please come sit with me." He slowly walks into the room, but he sits in the recliner instead of beside her on the sofa.

"Just tell me this, Ang. Why would you think I wouldn't want our baby? Do you think I would make you get rid of it? Have I not shown you over and over again what you and our family mean to me? I don't get it. Don't you know how much I love you?"

"Jordan, I know that you love me. I do. I just can't help but remember how you were before Maddie was born. I've been pregnant twice before and both times we went through hell. We both know that we weren't ready to be parents when we were teenagers. Then when I became pregnant with Maddie and I was sick the whole time, you and the band were just starting to get recognized. You spent so much time with me during that 9 months that it delayed your first tour. You had to push it back more than once. You don't remember all that?"

"How could I forget, Angela? But I still don't understand why you're upset." She turns to look at him and she can see the hurt in his eyes.

Angela VO: _Maybe I'm overreacting. Maybe I was so worried that he would be upset and he really wasn't. Now I've pushed him away and hurt him with my insecurities. _

"Jordan, you told me that you wanted to wait until you were done touring. I understand that. With my history, I certainly don't want to go through this pregnancy alone. I can't ask you to cancel the rest of your tour to stay home with me."

She looks and down as tears start to fall from her eyes. He gets up from his chair and sits down beside her. He takes her hand in his and moves it to his mouth for a kiss. "Angela, babe, look at me." She wipes her eyes and looks up at him. "Baby, I love you. I know we didn't plan this, but that doesn't mean I want this baby any less. If you'll stop trying to guess at how I feel and pay attention, you would realize that I'm happy. You should have told me when I was home last week. Hell, you should have told me when I called you that night, or when we talked on Saturday. You could have told me any one of the times we talked."

"Jordan, I know. I guess I was just scared. I don't want you to be mad at me." He puts his arm around her shoulders and pulls her into him.

"Angela, I'm not mad. Think about it. When we were kids and I took off to LA, you were terrified of how I would react when I found out that you were pregnant. I could have been an ass and left you back here to deal with it all on your own. I was scared out of my mind. What did I do? I got in my car, rounded up the guys and came right back here to you. We dealt with it together. I didn't give up anything to be with you."

He pauses for a minute, trying to find the right words. "See, the thing is, when we found out we were having Maddie, I was so happy and I was scared at the same time. You had a rough time of it with both pregnancies. I wanted to be here with you. I wanted to make sure you were safe. You did go through hell with her, but she's here and she's healthy. It didn't stop me from pursuing my dreams, we just had to postpone it for a little while. You guys got to travel the world with me and the boys before she had to start school."

He rubs his hand up and down her back. "Hell, I don't even remember us talking about having another baby. What did I say to make you feel this way?"

"Well, it's not like we had a conversation about it, not really. It's just things you've said over the years." She sits up and pulls away to lean against the arm of the sofa.

"God, Angela, the thought of losing either you or Maddie scares the hell out of me. I don't think I could handle it if we lost another baby, either. After all this time, I've finally accepted that baby Jay's death wasn't our fault." Jordan looks down before continuing. "I guess I just meant that I wanted to be with you if we were having another baby. I don't want to be on a tour bus worrying about you and the baby."

"That's just it, Jordan. You are on tour. You can't just cancel that rest of it. And when this tour is over, you guys will have another tour and you'll record another album and the cycle will start all over again."

Sighing loudly, Jordan runs his hand through his hair and looks up into Angela's eyes. "Angela, I wasn't going to tell you this, but I can't have you sitting here at home all stressed out and pregnant. I don't won't you to worry about anything." He takes her hands in his. "When we wrap up this tour in New York, we're going to be taking a really long break. Shane and Tommy are getting tired of life on the road and I'm ready to be home with you and Maddie. I was planning to surprise you with the news, but I think you need to know now."

Angela's face breaks out into a beautiful smile. "Jordan, are you serious? Baby, that's wonderful!" She launches herself into his arms and gives him a long wet kiss. They start to lose themselves in each other when Jordan hears Maddie coming down the stairs and pulls away.

"Ewwww, you guys! Don't do that in front of me." She sits down on the other side of Jordan. He puts his arm around her and pulls her close.

"Maddie, guess what. I just told your mom that I'm coming home in August. I'm gonna be home with you guys for a long time." He kisses her on the forehead. "What do you think about that?"

"Awesome, Dad! Then you can tuck me in at night and help me with my homework. And, Dad, you can take me to school! I'll be so cool, the only girl in middle school with a Rock Star for a dad!"

They all laugh and Jordan hugs both of his girls to him. "Hey, Mad. That's not all. You're going to be a big sister, too. Won't that be fun?"

"Yeah, whatever. That's cool." She gets up from the sofa and heads to the kitchen. "Mom, what's for dinner? I'm hungry."

Angela and Jordan stare after Maddie as she leaves the room. They look at each other and start to crack up. Angela lays her forehead against Jordan's. "I guess I better go find your daughter some dinner. You hungry?"

"Yeah, I am. But first, I need to know. Are we good? No more misunderstanding?" He looks into her eyes and kisses her on the nose.

"We're more than good. You don't know how happy I am. I can't believe that we're going to have a baby and you're going to be home with us for the foreseeable future! Think you can handle a life of boring domesticated existence, Mr. Catalano?"

Smiling happily, Jordan whispers to her, "I'm counting the days, Mrs. Catalano."

Angela gets up from the sofa and reaches for his hand to pull him up. As she turns to leave, he pulls her into his arms. "Angela, I love you. Don't you ever forget it." He kisses her tenderly before taking her hand and leading her to the kitchen where their daughter is rummaging through the refrigerator.

**A/N 2: I'm having a lot of fun writing this story. I've decided to write this in parts. This is the end of Part 1. Part 2 to follow shortly. Please review and let me know what you think so far. Thank you for reading! ~gagirl29**


	7. As days go by

**Part Two**

**As days go by...**

**A/N: I still own nothing. **

"Hello." Jordan mumbles as he puts his phone to his ear. It's 8 a.m., Friday morning in Pennsylvania, but Jordan is in Salt Lake City in his bunk on the bus. Salt Lake City is 3 hours behind Three Rivers. Their show ended late the night before and they had one more performance before they moved on to Las Vegas.

"Good morning, Daddy! Happy Birthday!" He rolls over onto his back as he listens to an excited Maddie tell him about the birthday party Graham was having for him at the restaurant when he gets home next weekend.

Jordan VO: _What? It's not my birthday, is it? I'm still sleeping right?_

Maddie tells him goodbye and Angela gets on the line. "Happy Birthday, Jordan!"

"Hey, babe. It's not my birthday, is it?" He sleepily rubs his eyes.

"Oh my god, Jordan. Yes, it is your birthday. It's June 23, the same day we celebrate your birthday every year, silly." He can hear her chuckling. "Dad wants to have you a small birthday party at the restaurant next weekend, if that's fine with you. He wants you to invite the guys. Sharon and Kyle are coming with their boys and Rayanne will be there. I don't think Ricky can make it, though. Of course the family will be there. Is that ok?"

"Yeah, whatever you want is fine." He yawns and pulls the covers up over his chest.

"Damn, honey. I forgot how early it is out there. I should have waited until later to let Maddie call you. She was a little excited, you know? How about you just call me when you get up. I'll let you get back to sleep."

"Angela, it's ok. I can talk for a few minutes." He pushes the blanket back and jumps down out of the bunk. He walks into the bathroom and pulls the door closed. "How are you feeling this morning? You're sure your morning sickness is gone? Everything else ok?"

Angela laughs to herself because she can hear that he's in the bathroom. "I'm fine, Jordan. You worry too much. Mom stops by once a day to check on me and I know you asked Dad to check on me, too. I'm pregnant, my dear, not sick." She can hear the toilet flush.

"Well, until I'm home for good, you can get used to it." He washes his hands before opening the door and climbing back on to his bunk and under the covers. "I worry, it's my job."

"I know. I love you and I'm gonna let you get back to sleep. Happy Birthday, baby. I wish I were there with you."

"Thank you, and I wish you were here with me, too. I'll talk to you later. I love you, Red." He hits the end button on his phone and tosses it down on the bunk beside him before snuggling down under the covers and closing his eyes to dream about his wife.

* * *

><p>Angela zips her overnight bag and walks back into the bathroom. She grabs her tooth brush, tooth paste and prenatal vitamins and carries them back into the bedroom and puts them down in her purse. She grabs everything and heads down the hall to Maddie's room.<p>

Angela VO: _He doesn't suspect a thing. I've got to get Maddie on the ball so that I can get her to Danielle's before I head to the airport. He's going to be so happy. I don't want to wait until next weekend to tell him._

"Maddie, are you ready? We've got to get going, honey. I've got to be at the airport by 11 o'clock and it's almost 9 now. Do you have your ipod and your dsi? You know Aunt Dani doesn't have that stuff at her house."

"Yes, Mom. I've got everything. Would you quit rushing me, please?" She slips her backpack over her shoulders and picks up her bag. "Why do I have to go stay with Aunt Dani and Uncle Brian? Why can't I go with you?"

"Maddie, please don't start this again. I've already told you. I'm going to surprise your dad. You'll get to see him next weekend when he's home. Now, you need to get your butt in gear. I'll meet you down at the car."

Angela can hear her grumbling all the way down the stairs. She just shakes her head and continues to the garage.

* * *

><p>Angela makes it to the airport with only a few minutes to spare. After making it through security, she gets to the gate just in time to board the plane. She stows her bags in the overhead and takes her seat by the window. She buckles in and lays her head back on the seat. She doesn't even realize that plane has taken off because she's lost in thought remembering the last time she surprised Jordan this way.<p>

_June 23 1998_

Angela stepped off the elevator on to the 14th floor of the Belagio Hotel in Las Vegas. It was Jordan's 21st birthday and she wanted to surprise him. Residue had been invited to take part in the annual Battle of the Bands this year, being held in the lounge of the bar downstairs. The guys had already been in Vegas for 4 days and they had been provided a suite by the record company that was sponsoring the competition.

She entered the suite and turned on the light. Angela and Shane had talked before they had flown out earlier in the week. He knew she was coming and he left a key for her at the front desk so that she could go straight to the suite to wait for Jordan. It was the last night of the competition and she wanted to be there for him, whether they won or lost. And she wanted to be with him on his birthday. You only turn 21 once and she wanted it to be special for him.

She had to hurry because Shane told her they were on early tonight, so Jordan would be back to the room anytime. Shane and Tommy were going to go out on the town to give them some time alone. She opened the door to the first room on the right and realized that it was Shane and Tommy's room. There were two unmade double beds and clothes everywhere. Angela couldn't help but laugh. She pulled the door closed.

She walked across the sitting room and opened the door to the other bedroom. All she could do was stand and stare. The lights were off, but there were lit candles everywhere. There were rose petals strewn across the comforter and a bucket with champagne and ice on the table beside the bed. She walked in the room and ran her hand across the rose petals before picking one of them up and bringing to her nose. She dropped her bags to the floor and turned back to the door with a smile on her face.

When she looked up, Jordan was leaning against the door frame, smiling back at her. "Hey, beautiful. It's about time you got here." He walks up to her and pulls her to him. "I've missed you, babe." He leans down to give her a lingering kiss.

"Jordan! How did you know I would be here? It's supposed to be a surprise!" She wraps her arms around his waist and leans back to look at him. "Where's Shane? I'm gonna kill him! He was supposed to keep it a secret!"

He just laughs and pulls her closer to him. He buries his face in her hair and whispers to her. "It was a surprise. My surprise. He helped me get you here." He moves her hair aside and kisses her neck. "Are you surprised?"

"Well, yeah. But I wanted to surprise you for your birthday. Now that's all ruined." She pulls back and pouts up at him. "I had it all planned out!"

"Aw, babe. It's not ruined. You're here, I'm here and we have this fancy room all to ourselves. I'd say this is a great birthday present." He takes her hand and sits on the side of the bed with her standing between his knees. "Why don't you let me unwrap my present?"

He starts to untie the strings on the side of her dress that hold it together, but she puts her hand on his to stop him. "We'll get to that, Mister. Right now, I need to go to the bathroom and freshen up. I came straight from the airport and I feel yucky. Why don't you just relax in here for a little bit while I take a shower." She leans down to kiss him and then pushes him back on the bed. Before he can reach for her, she grabs her bag and runs into the bathroom, locking the door behind her.

When Angela comes back into the room a few minutes later, she's wearing a long white nightgown. It has spaghetti straps and it's cut low in the front. Her now blonde hair is hanging softly down her back. Jordan is sitting on the bed with his back against the headboard. He doesn't notice what she's wearing at first because he's looking at something in his hand. When he looks up at her, he quickly jumps up from the bed and shoves his hand in his pocket.

He stands there staring at her so long that she starts to get nervous. She takes a tentative step towards him. He slowly starts to smile. "Wow, Angela. You're beautiful."

"Happy Birthday, Jordan. This isn't how I planned it, but I do want tonight to be special for you. I love you." She walks up to him and slips her arms around his neck before kissing him deeply.

Just as she's about to pull him down on to the bed with her, he takes her hand and sits her down on the edge of the bed. He takes a deep breath. Still holding her hand, he kneels on the floor in front of her. He reaches into his pocket with the other hand and pulls out a diamond ring.

He touches her face as he looks into her eyes. "Angela, I love you so much. I'm where I am today because you saw something in me that no one else ever did. You make me want to be a better man. Will you marry me?"

"Oh, Jordan, do you even have to ask? Of course I'll marry you. I love you." She smiles softly as he takes her hand and places his ring on her finger. She lays back on the bed and pulls him down on top of her.

_Present day_

Angela makes it to Energy Solutions Arena halfway through Residue's set. She has the cab driver drop her off behind the arena next to the guys' tour bus. Ron, the bus driver opens the door to the bus for her so that she can leave her bags. He calls in to the stage manager so that they'll let Angela in the back door so that she can go backstage. She's walking down the hall when she runs into Deborah, Residue's manager.

"Hey there, Angela! I didn't know you were coming." She walks up and hugs Angela.

"Hey, Deborah. No one knew I was coming. This time, I didn't even tell Shane. He's not good at keeping secrets." They both laugh.

Deborah gives Angela a knowing look. "Speaking of Shane and secrets, I hear you and Jordan are expecting."

"Yes, we are. I'm due around Thanksgiving. I should have known Shane wouldn't be able to keep that to himself." Shaking her head, all Angela can do is smile. She loves Shane like a brother, but he can be a pain.

"That's great, Angela. I'm happy for you guys." She starts to walk toward the sound of the music. "You want to hang out in the dressing room and wait on the guys?"

"If it's ok with you, I'd really like to stand on the side of the stage and watch the rest of the show. I haven't seen their show in a while." They come to a long corridor on the right and Deborah motions for Angela to proceed.

"No problem. Continue to the end and take a left and you'll come out right next to the stage. I'm going back to the dressing room. Come and find me if you need anything." She turns and heads in the other direction.

Angela follows her directions and ends up standing just off the stage, hidden from the audience by the curtains hanging on either side. Jordan had just finished a song. He had his back to her, so he didn't see her. She stood there looking at the sight her husband made. He's all hot and sweaty. His hair was wet and hanging down in his face. She loved it.

Angela VO: _Wow, THAT is my husband up there. Listen to all those women yelling his name. Dream on, ladies. He's all mine._

She's standing there grinning, leering at her own husband when he turns and notices her. She can see that he's surprised. He smiles at her and then he speaks into the microphone.

"Hey, folks. I'll be back in just a second. Hold tight, 'cause the show's far from over." He puts down his guitar and starts walking over to her.

Tommy, confused as to what's going on, turns to look at Shane. Shane has no clue what Jordan is up to. He yells, "Hey, Jay. What the hell?" Jordan just walks by like he didn't hear. When Shane turns his head in the direction Jordan's walking, he spots Angela. He motions to Tommy to look in that direction. When Tommy sees Angela, he looks back at Shane and shakes his head. They both start to laugh.

Jordan walks up to Angela and wraps her in a hug, picking her up off the ground. He whispers softly to her, "Red, what are you doing here?" He gives her a quick kiss before setting her feet back on the ground.

"Happy Birthday, Jordan. I'm your birthday present. Do you like it?" She pulls him back down for a kiss.

"Hell yeah, I like it! How am I supposed to go back and finish this show knowing that you're here waiting on me?" He kisses her nose and hugs her tight. "Gotta go. You stay right here, ok?" He turns and runs back out on stage.

She looks at Shane and he gives her a thumbs up. She smiles back at him. Tommy looks over to her and nods and she blows him a kiss. These guys are like family to her and Jordan and she's very thankful that they're with him when she can't be.

Jordan picks up his guitar and walks back to the microphone. "Sorry, guys. Today is my 34th birthday." He has to pause as the crowd starts cheering loudly. "See, I had to take a break because I just got my birthday surprise. My beautiful wife, my beautiful, very pregnant, wife whom I haven't seen in close to a month, decided to come all the way from Pennsylvania to surprise me."

Angela is standing there in shock. She just shakes her head. The crowd is going wild.

Angela VO: _Did he just tell this audience of 20,000 people that I was pregnant? Oh my god, Jordan!_

He looks over at her and winks. "Ok, ok. This next song is one I wrote for my wife, long before she was my wife. I was an ass to her and I did some really unforgivable things, but she did forgive me. She made me who I am today. Angela, babe, I love you."

He looks back at the guys and they start to play The Kill. Angela stands there listening with a smile on her face and tears in her eyes.


	8. Here without you

**Here without you...**

**A/N: I own nothing...**

Angela is still standing on the side of the stage watching Residue perform. It never gets old to her. The guys play four more songs before they start to bring the show to an end. Jordan walks over to Tommy and a says something to him before he walks back over to the microphone.

"Alright, guys. We have one last song for you before we go. You all are in for a real treat, because we haven't played this song at any of our shows. In fact, we just finished writing it a few weeks ago. Let us know what you think." Jordan steps back from the mic and looks over at Angela giving her a smile and wink. Tommy begins playing the first chords of the song.

Jordan steps back up to the mic and starts to sing.

A hundred days have made me older  
>Since the last time that I saw your pretty face<br>A thousand lies have made me colder  
>And I don't think I can look at this the same<br>But all the miles that separate  
>Disappear now when I'm dreaming of your face<p>

I'm here without you baby  
>But you're still on my lonely mind<br>I think about you baby  
>And I dream about you all the time<br>I'm here without you baby  
>But you're still with me in my dreams<br>And tonight it's only you and me

The miles just keep rollin'  
>As the people leave their way to say hello<br>I've heard this life is overrated  
>But I hope that it gets better as we go<p>

I'm here without you baby  
>But you're still on my lonely mind<br>I think about you baby  
>And I dream about you all the time<br>I'm here without you baby  
>But you're still with me in my dreams<br>And tonight girl its only you and me

Everything I know, and anywhere I go  
>It gets hard but it wont take away my love<br>And when the last one falls  
>When it's all said and done<br>It gets hard but it wont take away my love

I'm here without you baby  
>But you're still on my lonely mind<br>I think about you baby  
>And I dream about you all the time<br>I'm here without you baby  
>But you're still with me in my dreams<br>And tonight girl its only you and me

When he finishes the last line, the crowd goes wild. He brushes his hair from his face and leans into the mic. "Thank you very much, Salt Lake City. You guys have been wonderful. We're Residue. Good night!"

He lays his guitar down on the stage and walks straight to Angela, already tuning out the crowd. He pulls her into his arms and holds her tight. "Red, I love you. Thank you for surprising me tonight."

"I love you, too. I'm glad I finally got to surprise you. The last time I tried this, you weren't surprised at all!" She laughs as he kisses her on the neck.

Grinning, he looks her straight in the eye. "Yeah, but last time you were surprised, weren't you?"

"Are you kidding me? That was the greatest night of my life!" He hugs her again before taking her hand and heading down the corridor to the dressing room.

Shane and Tommy walk in right behind them and both take turns hugging Angela. Tommy kisses her on the cheek. "Hey, Ang. How you feeling these days?"

"I feel great, Tommy. Thanks for asking. By the way, you guys were awesome tonight. I've missed seeing you perform." She walks over and leans on the counter beside where Jordan is sitting. "So, which one of you wrote the new song?"

Shane and Tommy both just start to laugh while Jordan grins sheepishly. "Come on, Angela. You don't really have to ask that, do you? You're our muse." Shane walks up to her and tugs on her hair. "Our boy spends all his time mooning over you. Don't you know that all our hits are about you?"

Jordan VO: _Geez, Shane, you have such a big fucking mouth. Just wait until you find the right one. Idiot!_

Everyone is laughing. "Shut the hell up, Shane." Jordan pulls Angela down on to his lap and nuzzles her neck. So only she can hear, he whispers to her, "What do you wanna do tonight? I sure as hell don't want you sleeping on the tour bus."

"Uh, no, I don't think I want to be on the bus with the guys. I don't think you want them to hear us, do you?" She starts to blush and hides her face against Jordan's chest.

"Angela Catalano? You got plans for me, huh?" He kisses her on the cheek before gently nudging her off his lap.

He says a little louder to the guys, "Hey, we're gonna get outta here. I guess we'll get a room somewhere because I want to be alone with my wife. I'll call you in a little while to let you know where we'll be staying. Tell Ron to swing by in the morning to pick me up, ok?" Jordan stands and takes Angela by the hand.

"Oh, guys? Dad is giving Jordan a birthday party at the restaurant next Saturday night. He wants you to come. Bring dates if you want." Angela hugs Shane and whispers in his ear. "Raynie's gonna be there. She'll be alone." She kisses him on the cheek before moving over to hug Tommy. "I'll see you guys then, ok?"

"Sure thing, Angela. You two have fun and behave! Happy Birthday, Jay." Tommy and Jordan bump fists. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do." Tommy laughs and sits in the chair Jordan had just got up from.

"G'night, guys. Don't keep him up all night, Ang." Shane winks at her and she blushes again.

"Oh, can it, Shane!" She tries to hide her face against Jordan. He grabs her hand and pulls her out the door.

* * *

><p>An hour later, Jordan and Angela walk through door of their hotel room. Jordan drops their bags on the floor by the door and pulls her into his arms for a long kiss. Before too long, Angela's got his shirt off and starting to unbuckle his belt. "Dang, Red, are you that hot for me?" She pulls him down for another kiss.<p>

He laughs and pulls away. "Woman, you must have missed me. I need to take a shower and then you can have your way with me." He kisses her on the nose and heads to the bathroom. She stands there for a minute watching after him before she starts to take off her clothes and drop them on the floor. She hears the shower start and she decides to join him.

Jordan's standing under the spray with his eyes closed letting the hot water run over his head when he hears the shower door open. He smiles, but doesn't open his eyes. He reaches for her and pulls her to him. She starts to kiss his neck and rubs her hands over his body. "Jordan, I've missed you so much." She continues to kiss down his chest as her hand reaches down to caress his erection. He puts his hands in her hair and pulls her mouth back up to his for a long wet kiss.

Jordan VO: _She's amazing. What did I ever do to deserve her? She's everything I've ever wanted._

She pulls away and drops down to her knees in front of him before taking him in her mouth. He leans back against the shower wall and wraps his hands in her hair, letting her have her way with him. He can't help but moan as she licks up and down the length of his shaft. He softly whispers to her, "Angela. Baby, you have to stop. I'm not gonna last much longer."

She continues on as if he hasn't said anything. She's wrapped up in giving him pleasure. She reaches behind him with both hands and caresses his ass as she continues to stroke him with her mouth. She runs her hands down the backs of his legs and feels his hands tighten in her hair. She can tell that he's about to lose it, so she moves faster. He completely loses control and spills his seed into her mouth while softly calling her name.

He pulls her to her feet and kisses her gently. "Oh my god, Angela. Are you trying to kill me? Girl, that was amazing."

"Yeah, well we need to finish our shower, 'cause you ain't seen nothing yet!" She gives him a quick kiss before she steps around him and stands under the shower. "You wash my back and I'll wash yours, deal?"

It takes them 20 minutes to finish their shower because they can't keep their hands off each other. By the time they rinse the soap off, the water is starting to run cold. Jordan shuts the water off and grabs two towels from the rack just outside the door. Angela dries off and wraps her towel around her hair and starts to walk back into the bedroom. Jordan picks her up from behind and walks over to the bed with her before dropping her on the end of the bed. He takes the towel from her head and throws it on the floor.

Angela scoots all the way to the top of the bed and Jordan falls down beside her. He grabs her by the head and pulls her down for a passionate kiss. He starts to push her onto her back, but she won't let him. She pushes him down and straddles his hips. She plants kisses all over his face and neck and then she gently starts to suck on his earlobe. "Jordan, I can't wait. I need you now." She kisses him again.

"Angela, let's take it slow, baby. We've got all night." He pushes her up so that he can look at her. He runs his hands over her breasts before rubbing them down over her gently rounded belly. "Ah, baby, you're starting to show. I can't believe we're already 4 months along." He pulls her back down for a kiss. "Red, I love you. I love you more than you'll ever know. Thank you for being in my life. Thank you for everything."

She looks down into his beautiful blue eyes and sees nothing be love staring back at her. "Jordan, you're my everything. I love you so much." She can't wait any longer. She pulls herself up and sinks down onto his erection, drawing a moan from his lips.

"Babe, that feels so good." He puts his hands in her hair and draws her down to him. He kisses her lips before trailing kisses across her jaw, down her neck to her breasts.

She slowly starts rocking back an forth on his cock. Before long, she's panting and moving her hips faster. He grasps her hips and helps her pick up the pace. Her movements become hurried and frantic. He can tell that she's almost there, so picks her up and flips her over onto her back. He moves in between her legs and buries himself deep. He starts slowly sliding himself in and out of her.

Her eyes are closed and she's breathing hard, moaning his name over and over. "Angela, look at me. Let me see you come apart." He takes both of her arms and holds them over her head and he starts to move faster and faster, all the time watching her face. He can see in her eyes that she's about to let go. "C'mon, babe. Come with me." He licks her neck and whispers in her ear. "I love you, Red."

Her body starts to shake and she can't keep her eyes open anymore. She completely comes apart beneath him, sobbing his name. "JORDAN!" He leans down to capture her lips in a long wet kiss and follows her over the edge.

After he catches his breath, he rolls off her and pulls her against his side. She lays her head on his chest. They're both content and happy to finally just be together again. After laying there for a few minutes, Angela pushes herself up and props her head on her hand. He gently runs his hand over her face and down under her hair, pulling her in for a kiss.

"Wow. This has officially become my second best birthday ever!" He's smiling from ear to ear. "Second only to my 21st birthday, the night you agreed to marry me, the same night we won our first record deal."

Jordan VO: _Does life get any better than this? I'm married to the woman I love more than anything. We have a beautiful daughter and a baby on the way. I make a living doing what I love everyday. What more could a man want? I've got to be the happiest man alive._

Jordan reaches down to entwine his fingers with hers and brings her hand up to kiss it. He can't seem to stop staring at this gorgeous creature beside him, who just happens to be his wife.

"Jordan, do you want your birthday present now?" She smiles at him sweetly.

"Damn, Red. You mean all that wasn't my present? I've got more...to come?" She playfully slaps him on the chest.

"You definitely have more _to come,_" she says, smirking. "But what I meant was that I have something to tell you." She reaches up and caresses his face.

"So tell me." He grabs her hand and holds it against his heart.

"Jordan," she whispers, "we're having a little boy."

He's speechless for a whole minute, just looking at her face. "You're sure?" Tears start to well up in his eyes. He quickly blinks them back. "Angela, babe, for real?"

"Yes, honey, I'm 100 percent sure." She's smiling beautifully, knowing that she's made him very happy on his birthday.

"Oh, Red. I was wrong." Laughing happily, he pulls her on top of him and rains kisses all over her face.

"You were wrong? What were you wrong about?"

"A few minutes ago, lying here with you in my arms, I was thinking I had everything in the world I wanted. I thought to myself, 'What more could I want? I'm the happiest man alive.' But I was wrong. NOW, I'm the happiest man alive! We're going to have a little boy! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

He rolls her over onto her back and neither of them say anything for a long time.

**A/N 2: OMG... I wasn't sure I was going to make it through this chapter alive! I'm having lots of fun with this story, seriously! I hope you enjoy!**

**The song is Here Without You ~ 3 Doors Down. Please, please review for me and let me know what you think!**


	9. Precious memories

**Precious memories**

**A/N: Oops! A few chapters back, Jordan told the crowd that he was 33...he's actually 34. I went back and changed it. I still own nothing...**

Angela is standing in the kitchen on Friday morning when Jordan's cab pulls in the driveway. He and the boys are taking a few days off for July 4th. She walks over to the counter and starts making a pot of coffee for him.

Maddie must have heard her dad pull up because she comes running down the stairs. When Jordan walks in the door, she launches herself at him. He wraps her in a big hug and picks her off her feet. "How's my girl? Did you miss me?" He kisses her on the cheek.

"Duh, Dad. You were gone for over a month! I wanted to come with mom on your birthday, but she wouldn't let me. She said she wanted to surprise you. Why couldn't I surprise you, too?" Maddie wraps her arms around his neck and lays her head on his shoulder.

Angela walks down the hall and Jordan looks at her and smiles. "Well, Mad, your mom just wanted to spend some time alone with me. She wanted it to be a surprise between me and her." He winks at Angela and they share an intimate smile. "You can come with her to New York to see our show next month, ok? It can be part of _your _birthday present. How about that?"

"Ok, Daddy. I'm glad you're home." She kisses him on the cheek before he sets her on the floor. "I'm gonna go next door and see if Kaylie can come out and play. Is that ok, Mom?"

"Sure, honey. Have fun." Maddie runs by Angela and out the back door.

"Hey, you." Jordan whispers as he pulls her into his arms. "Come over here and show me how much you missed me." They share a tender kiss before he buries his face in her hair and pulls her tight. "I've missed you, Red."

"Me, too. Jordan. I'm glad you're home. Just think, you only have to leave us one more time, then you get to stay home with us." She pulls back and kisses him. "I made you some coffee and there are some bagels. Want one?"

"Nah, coffee would be good, though. I'm just going to carry my bags upstairs. I'll be right back." He turns and heads up the stairs as she goes into the kitchen to fix his coffee.

She's carrying his coffee into the den when the doorbell rings. She walks to the front door and pulls it open to find Rayanne standing there. They haven't seen each other in years. "Oh my god, Rayanne! Come in!" Rayanne grabs her in a tight hug.

"Angelica! Look at you! Catalano keeping you barefoot and pregnant while he's out touring the country?" They both look down at Angela's bare feet and laugh. She puts her hands on Angela's stomach and looks her in the eye. "I'm happy for you, Angela."

Both women start to tear up as Jordan walks down the stairs. "Hey, Rayanne, don't be making my wife cry. Geez, woman! You've just got here and both of you are bawling." He hugs Rayanne and kisses her on the cheek before turning to Angela and pulling her to his side.

"Oh, shut it, Catalano! I was just telling our Angela that I'm happy for you guys. I love you both, ya' know? Even if you are a pain in the ass, Jay." They all laugh. "Mr. Rockstar, you better keep her smiling."

"Don't you worry about that, Graff. I think I got it covered." Jordan squeezes Angela and kisses her on the lips.

"Jordan, Rayanne is going to stay with us. Will you help her get her things and take them up to the guest room?" Rayanne, who is in between Broadway shows, lives in New York with Ricky and his partner, Simon. Ricky couldn't make the trip with her because he was in the middle of choreographing a pop video in LA. "Raynie, do you want a cup of coffee, or maybe some tea?"

"I'll take some coffee, please." She and Jordan head out to her car to get her bags as Angela heads back into the kitchen to fix Rayanne's coffee with a smile on her face.

Angela VO: _I'm so glad those two are getting along. We've spent way too much time over the years dealing with the awkwardness of what happened between them. We've all grown up since then. Jordan loves me. That's what's important._

* * *

><p>Later that night, Jordan, Angela and Rayanne are sitting in the den talking. Maddie is already upstairs asleep. Jordan is sitting in the corner of the sofa with Angela leaning back against him and his arms around her. He keeps rubbing her belly and she can't help but blush.<p>

"Jordan, would you please stop it! Rayanne doesn't want to see you fondling me." Rayanne, who is sitting across the room in the recliner, just laughs at them.

"Angelica, this ain't nothing compared to the way you guys used to be. You guys were so sickening back in high school." She just shakes her head. "The way you guys used to make out in the hall made me gag. I thought Catalano was trying to eat your face."

"Oh, c'mon now, Graff. It wasn't that bad! We always saved the good stuff for the boiler room." Jordan chuckles, remembering all the times he and Angela skipped class to meet down there to be alone. "None of you got to witness that."

"Oh, please. You're forgetting who you're talking to. I know how long she made you wait. Still, you guys were so hot for each other. I don't know how she held out that long." Jordan and Rayanne are cracking up, while Angela is hiding her face.

"Hello. _She_ is still sitting here. Can we please not talk about how long it took Jordan to finally get my pants off? Enough already!" Angela smiles softly to herself as she thinks back to that day.

Jordan is having similar thoughts of his own...

_September 1995_

Jordan, Shane and Tommy were practicing at the loft. They had been working on the same song for over an hour and something wasn't right with it, so they decided to take a break. Jordan walked over and sat on the sofa with his guitar, playing the chorus over and over to himself trying to figure out why it wasn't working. Getting frustrated, he sits his guitar down on the floor beside him and leans his head against the back of the cushions.

He was missing Angela. They hadn't spent much time together lately outside school. She was working in her dad's restaurant at night and he was still working at his uncle's garage and their schedules never seemed to match up. He closed his eyes and pictured her smiling face.

Jordan VO: _Damn it. Maybe I should just go by the restaurant and see her tonight. We're not getting anything done around here anyway._

He opens his eyes and looks around the loft. Shane is standing in the corner talking to some chick he doesn't know and Tommy has his head in the refrigerator. Tino and Graff are sitting together in the hammock. Even though Tino isn't with the band anymore, he still comes to the loft to hang out. Over on the other side of the room he sees Cynthia Hargrove hanging around with some of her friends.

"Shit," he mumbles to himself. Angela's going to be pissed when she finds out Cynthia was here when she wasn't. Angela had a good reason not to trust that girl. Every chance she got she threw herself at Jordan, no matter how many times he told her no. One time, she came on to him at a party in front of Angela.

He gets up, grabs his guitar and puts it in it's case. He decides to head out so that he can swing by the restaurant. As he's walking over to tell Shane and Tommy, Cynthia steps into his path. "Where ya' going, Jordan? You leaving so soon?"

"Move, Cynthia. I'm not in the mood for your crap tonight." He tries to step around her, but she puts her hand on his chest. "What the hell, Cyn?"

"C'mon, Catalano. You know you want what I'm offering. I know that little girlfriend of yours is holding out on you. You should hear her going on about it to Graff. 'Oh, Rayanne, I so want to do it, but I'm scared.' Whatcha you want a scared little girl for, anyway? I'll give you what you want." She laughs and stands closer to him. "You know that I know what I'm doing."

"Cynthia, how many times do I have to tell you I'm not interested? Why can't you just accept that I'm with Angela? Why do you gotta say shit about her, huh? Do you want me to embarrass you in front of all these people?" Jordan takes a step back from her and goes to move around her again.

Cynthia chuckles and takes his hand. "She wouldn't even have to know. I won't tell her, if you don't."

Everyone has stopped what they were doing and is now watching Jordan and Cynthia. Rayanne starts to get up, but Tino stops her. No one seems to notice that Angela had walked in the door. She'd come in right about the time Jordan was telling Cynthia that he was with her now and that she should accept it.

Jordan pulls his hand away and pushes it through his hair. "Why are you doing this, Cyn? Do you think so little of yourself? I DON'T WANT YOU. How else do I need to say it?"

"Oh, I think that was pretty clear, Jordan." Everyone turns to look at Angela. "Cynthia, why don't you leave my boyfriend alone? He just told you in a room full of people that he doesn't want you. Please don't embarrass yourself anymore than you already have."

Cynthia laughs out loud. "Honey, I'm not embarrassed. I've already had him and when he gets tired of waiting around on you to give it up, he'll come to me." She steps right up to Jordan and runs her finger across his cheek. "You know where to find me, Catalano." He stepped back again out of her reach.

Angela walks across the room, straight over to Cynthia and grabs her by the hair. She pulls her around and punches her right in the face. For a second, no one moves. They can't believe that Angela Chase just threw a punch. Once they all get over the shock, Angela and Cynthia are rolling around on the floor pulling at each others hair.

Jordan, who is closest to them, grabs Angela around the waist and pulls her off Cynthia. She tries to shake him off, but he holds on tight. Cynthia gets up off the floor and touches her hand to her mouth. She wipes at the blood running down her chin as she looks over to Angela and Jordan.

"Cynthia, stay the fuck away from my boyfriend. He doesn't want you, so keep your damn hands off him. If you don't, next time I'll make sure that he won't be there to pull me off." Angela takes Jordan by the hand and pulls him out the door, heading straight for his car. She gets in the passenger side and lays her head back on the seat.

Jordan VO: _Holy shit. Angela just beat the crap out of Cynthia. There I am, trying to get Cynthia to leave me alone and in swoops Angela. Damn, I love that girl._

Jordan opens his door and gets behind the wheel. He can't help but smile as he sneaks a peek at Angela. She's not looking at him, so he thinks she must be embarrassed. He reaches over to take her hand when she turns to him and starts laughing her head off. It doesn't take long for him to join in.

"Wow, Angela. What the hell was that?" He pulls her closer to him and quickly kisses her. "I've never seen you like that before."

"Well, I couldn't take it anymore. I'm tired of that bitch throwing herself at you. And no one is allowed to touch you but me." She gets on her knees and climbs in his lap. Before long, he's got his hands up her shirt and she's grinding against him.

"Jordan, take me somewhere." She trails kisses across his face and down his neck.

He pushes her back so he can look at her face. "Angela? You're sure?"

"I've never been more sure of anything." She gets off his lap and sits beside him. "Dad let me off early. I don't have to be home until 11." She reaches over to squeeze his leg.

He kisses her on the cheek before starting the car. He pulls out of the parking lot and heads toward his house. When they get there, he cuts the engine and opens the door. Taking her by the hand, he heads in the house. "Dad's working night shift this week. We have the house to ourselves."

He doesn't stop until they're in his bedroom. He falls back on the bed and pulls her down on top of him. "Babe, I love you. We don't have to do this if you aren't ready, you know?"

"Trust me, Jordan, I'm ready. I want to make love with you. I love you." She kisses him softly.

"Oh, Babe, I'll do whatever you want me to." He rolls her over and lays on top of her. "Don't be afraid. I'll take care of you..."

_Present day_

"Jordan," Angela calls his name, trying to get his attention. "Jordan! Where did you go?" She turns in his arms to look up at him.

"Huh, what?" He looks down at her with a blank look on his face. "What did you say?"

"Oh, never mind that, what were you thinking about? Where did you go in that head of yours?" She playfully elbows him as she watches him blush.

"Damn, Catalano! You can't keep your mind outta the gutter even for a little while?" Rayanne laughs, enjoying his discomfort.

Not wanting to tell them what he was really thinking, he grins and says, "I was just thinking about the time Angela beat the shit out of Cynthia Hargrove."

"I don't think I've ever seen Angelica so pissed off at anyone before. It's like something came over our sweet, innocent little Angel." Rayanne chuckled. "One minute, she's telling her like it is, standing up for her man. The next minute, she's on top of her beating her ass! You made me so proud, girl!"

"Oh good lord, Jordan! What made you bring that up? That wasn't exactly the best moment of my adolescent life." She squirms around, uncomfortable and embarrassed.

Jordan pulls her tight against him and leans to whisper in her ear. "You started it. You were sitting here talking about how long it took me to get your pants off and it made me think of that night." The way they're sitting, with her practically in his lap, she can feel him getting hard. "Tell Rayanne good night and let's head upstairs, ok?"

As Angela's face turns red, Rayanne grins and gets up. "Okay. Why don't I let you kids reminisce without me. I'm going to bed." As she walks around the sofa, she stops and wraps her arms around them both from behind. She lays her cheek next to Angela's. "I seriously love you guys. It makes me so happy just seeing how happy you are together." She kisses them both on the cheek and heads up the stairs.

Angela turns in Jordan's arms and wraps her arms around him. "Jordan, I am happy."

"I know, Red. So am I." They stand up together and head up the stairs toward their bedroom holding hands.

**A/N 2: Did I go too far with this one? I always thought that Angela needed to stand up for herself more. Let me know what you think...review please!**


	10. One big happy family

**One big happy family...**

**A/N: I own nothing...**

It's Saturday night at Graham's Place, Graham and Hallie's restaurant. Graham, Hallie and Jamie are in the banquet room setting the table with wine glasses and silverware when Jordan, Angela, Maddie and Rayanne enter. After hugs all around, Jordan and Graham stand to the side talking.

"Hey, Jordan. How are things going with the tour? Angela tells us that you're planning a long stay at home when it's over." It took a while for Jordan and Graham to become comfortable with one another, but they genuinely seem to care about each other.

"Things are great, but I think we've done enough touring for a while. I need to be at home with Angela and Maddie. Especially now that Angela is in her second trimester." They both look over at Angela where she's standing with Rayanne and Hallie talking.

Graham looks back to Jordan, but he only has eyes for Angela. Chuckling, Graham puts his arm around Jordan. "I just want you to know that I'm proud of you, Jordan. I'm glad my daughter has you to take care of her. She's looking forward to having you at home, I can tell you that."

Jordan looks at Graham and smiles. "Thanks, Graham. I'm looking forward to it myself. Thanks for putting this little party together. You didn't have to, but I appreciate it."

"Think nothing of it, son. I just wanted to do something nice for you. You deserve to celebrate with your family. I gotta get back to the kitchen. Go enjoy yourself." Graham and Hallie leave the room as Patty, Danielle and Brian enter.

"OH MY GOD, It's Jordan Catalano! Can I have your autograph?" Danielle grabs Jordan in a hug, followed by Patty. Brian and Jordan shake hands.

"Oh, shut up, brat!" Jordan can't help but laugh. "None of that tonight. And do not ask me to sing, Dani. I won't do it." They all laugh as Danielle and Patty go over to join Angela and Rayanne.

"Hey, Brain, how ya' been?" Jordan and Brian share an easy friendship now. It took them a while to get past the whole letter thing, especially after Angela chose Jordan over Brian. Then Jordan found out that Brian was the one who started the first rumor about Jordan and Angela. They didn't speak at all that summer, but to everyone's surprise, when school started back that fall Brian approached Jordan and offered to tutor him again. With Brian and Angela's help, Jordan had graduated that year.

"I'm good, Jordan. Your sister in law keeps me on my toes, you know? Hey, Congratulations on the new baby, I haven't seen you since we found out. Angela told us that it's a boy. I know you must be ecstatic." Brian smiles at Jordan.

"Yeah, man. I couldn't be happier." He looks over to Angela and she's smiling at him. "I'll talk to you later." He and Brian make their way over to where the ladies are standing. He walks up to Angela pulling her to his side and puts his arm around her.

Sharon and Kyle walk into the room, followed by their 12 year old twins, Billy and Bobby. The boys quickly find Jamie and Maddie where they're sitting in the corner, as Sharon and Kyle make their way over to the group. Sharon hugs first Angela, then Rayanne before hugging Jordan. Jordan and Kyle shake hands. They all stand around talking for a little while.

"Jordan, where are Shane and Tommy? I know your dad is running a little late, but shouldn't they be here by now?" Angela looks at the clock on the wall, it's 7:45. "I think Dad wants to serve dinner at 8."

"I dunno, I told them what time to be here. They should be here any minute." About that time, Shane, Tommy and Deborah walk in. "It's about time, guys! Angela was about to send out a search party."

"Jordan, I was not." Laughing, she looks from Tommy to Deborah. "Hey, Deborah. I'm glad you came."

"Tommy invited me. I hope you don't mind." Deborah and Tommy share a smile.

"Of course not. Now that just about everyone's here, I think Dad wants us to get seated." She motions to the table behind them, as Graham and Hallie return.

Everyone takes their seat with Graham at the head of the table, Hallie to his right and Angela to his left. Jordan is beside Angela followed by Shane, Tommy and Deborah and Patty. Across from Patty is Danielle, then Brian, Kyle and Sharon, Rayanne is sitting beside Hallie. The kids are sitting at a small table by themselves, tuning out the adults. Just as they're getting settled, Anthony Catalano comes in.

Jordan gets up to shake hands with his dad. Tony leans down to kiss Angela's cheek. "Sorry I'm late. I had to rush home and change after work." He takes his seat at the other end of the table across from Graham. Jordan looks at his dad and then at Angela and smiles.

If not for Angela, he knows that he and his dad wouldn't be speaking, much less sitting at the same table about to share a meal. When Angela decides that she wants something, she doesn't stop until she gets it. After years and years of Jordan and Tony having nothing to do with one another, Angela went by Jordan's childhood home to invite Tony to Maddie's 5th birthday party. She found him passed out drunk, sitting behind the wheel of his car in the driveway. From everything Jordan had told her about his home life and Tony's alcoholism, she felt like she should try to help him before it was too late. To this day, he didn't know what Angela had said to Tony. The next day, he had checked himself into rehab and now here they were.

Looking around the room, Jordan sees all the people that he cares about most. The only person missing is Ricky, but he understands. He'd had to miss more than one family get together over the years. Jordan reaches under the table for Angela's hand. She turns to look at him and smiles.

Jordan VO: _This is my family. At one point in my life, the only person I had was Tony. Even then, he was too busy drinking to have anything to do with me. Then this bossy little teenage girl pushed her way into my heart. My life hasn't been the same since. How did I get to be so lucky?_

As dinner is served, everyone around the table is talking and having a good time. Jordan glances over at Shane and notices that he's staring right at Rayanne. He nudges Shane and whispers, "What's up with that, Jones? Why are you checking out, Graff?"

Shane turns red and chokes on his wine. "What are you talking about, Jay? I'm not 'checking her out' as you put it. Just wondering why she still won't talk to me."

"Well, it might have something to do with the fact that you broke up with her." Jordan glances up at Rayanne, who is looking anywhere but at Shane. "Dude, you should get her alone and talk, like tonight."

"Jay, how in the hell am I supposed to do that? She won't come anywhere near me. Damn, it's been 7 years. You'd think she'd be over it by now." Shane picks up his fork and starts eating.

"Shane, she's staying at our house tonight. I don't think she's leaving until Monday. You should stop by." He turns back to his own dinner.

* * *

><p>After a couple of hours at the restaurant, Angela is ready to get home. There's only so much of Hallie that she can stand in one night. She knows that her dad loves Hallie. She's accepted that, but she still doesn't particularly care for the woman. For her dad's sake, she puts on her happy face and hugs him and then Hallie, thanking them for the nice dinner party they hosted for Jordan. She looks around the room in search of Maddie when she finds her standing with Jordan, Shane and Tommy, and Jamie.<p>

As she walks over to them, she can hear Jamie telling Jordan how cool it would be if he had a mohawk. "Jamie, do not encourage him to do that!" She ruffles Jamie's hair. "Why don't you ask Dad if you can have a mohawk?"

"Ah, Angela. It would be cool. Shane just told me they only had 4 weeks left to tour. He wouldn't have to keep it for long." Jamie idolizes Jordan. Whenever Jordan is home, Jamie along with Maddie are right up under him. "And he said you could bring me to see him in New York. He could cut it right after the show."

Maddie decided to join in. "Mom, it would be cool! Dad asked me what I want for my birthday. I want him to have a pink mohawk."

Jordan, along with Shane and Tommy, just laughs. "I don't know about that. Angela would get mad if I cut my hair. Mad, she is definitely not going to let me dye my hair pink."

"Enough about cutting hair. Jordan, I'm ready to go." She hugs Tommy. "Tommy, thanks for bringing Deborah. You should bring her to the house tomorrow. We're going to have a cookout. I'd love for her to come." She turns to Shane. "Are you coming by the house tonight?"

"Yeah, he's coming. Aren't you, Shane?" Jordan elbows Shane in the ribs.

"I'm going to follow you guys," Shane says, giving Jordan a dirty look.

Angela puts her arms around Maddie who is almost as tall as she is. "Mad, are you staying with Grandpa?"

"Yep, until Monday, if that's ok. Uncle Brian said he'll take me and Jamie to the park to watch fireworks tomorrow night." She hugs Angela and then Jordan, before hugging Tommy and Shane. "Bye, Uncle Tommy. Bye, Uncle Shane. Come on, Jamie. Let's go see if your mom will give us some more ice cream." She and Jamie head off toward the kitchen.

After telling everyone goodbye, Angela, Jordan, Rayanne and Shane walk out to the parking lot together. As they're getting in the car, Shane calls out to Rayanne. "Hey, Rayanne, ride with me?"

Angela can see that Rayanne is hesitant, so she pulls her aside. "Raynie, you need to talk to him. We're going straight home. Give him a chance, huh?" Rayanne still looks uncertain. "What could it hurt?"

"Damn it, Angelica. I won't defend myself again. You don't know how it was." Rayanne looks over to where Shane is standing with Jordan. "He was a total dick to me."

"I know, Rayanne. Just give him a chance, ok? He's talked to me about it. He really is sorry. You need to hear what he has to say." Angela pushes her toward Shane. "Shane, she's going to ride with you. We'll see you there." She doesn't give them a chance to say anything, she just gets in the car. Jordan gets in behind the wheel.

As they pull out of the parking lot, Angela looks back to see Shane and Rayanne still standing in the same spot. Jordan takes her hand. "Hey, babe. We've got them together, now it's up to them."

Sighing, Angela lays her head on his shoulder. "I know, Jordan. I hope they don't kill each other."

**A/N 2: I don't like this chapter very much...I would rather just write about J/A. Hope you like...**


	11. Beautiful lie

**Beautiful lie...**

**A/N: I still own nothing...**

Sunday morning, Jordan and Angela are sitting at the kitchen table. Jordan is adding sugar to his coffee and Angela is eating a muffin. Rayanne is still upstairs.

"I must have been really tired last night. I can't believe I fell asleep on the sofa. I wanted to talk to Rayanne when she came in." Angela is worried about her friends.

Jordan looks down at the table. "Trust me, it was better that you were asleep."

"Why? What happened? It couldn't have been that bad, right?" She starts crumbling what's left of her muffin. "At least they talked."

"Well, yeah. I guess you could call it that." Jordan shrugs and gets up from the table to carry his empty plate and cup to the sink. "They kept _talking _after they came in the house."

"What do you mean? Did they work everything out?" Angela dumps her plate of crumbs in the trash before heading over to the sink. "They're friends again?"

"Uh, no. Look, it's none of our business, ok? Just leave it alone." He opens the door to the garage and walks out.

Angela follows him out. "Jordan, I just want them to resolve this. They're our two closest friends."

"Babe, it's not our problem." He reaches in to Red and pulls the hood release. Walking around to the front of the car, he lifts the hood. "If Rayanne wants to tell you, that's fine. I'm not talking about it anymore." He walks over to the stereo and turns it up loud, signaling the end of the conversation. He turns back to the car.

Angela turns and walks back into the house with a hurt look on her face, pulling the door closed behind her.

Angela VO: _Is it so bad to want your friends to be happy? Now I'm not even supposed to ask?_

She heads to the den and sits on the sofa with her legs pulled up beside her. Not even bothering to turn the TV on, she lays her head back on the cushion and closes her eyes. After sitting that way for several minutes, she hears Rayanne come down the stairs.

"Hey, Angelica. I think I'm going to head home today." She sits in the recliner across from Angela. "Thanks for letting me crash here for a few days."

"What? I thought you were leaving tomorrow. Why did you change your mind?" Rayanne looks away, not meeting Angela's eyes. "What happened with you and Shane?"

"Nothing happened, Ang. I just want to go home. I've already packed, so I'm going to like load my stuff in the car." She stands and starts to walk by Angela, but Angela puts her arm out to stop her. "Please don't do this, Angela. Just let me go, alright?"

"Just tell me, ok? I don't even know what happened between you in the first place." She takes Rayanne and pulls her down on the sofa beside her. "I mean, I didn't expect you guys to end up together, but I kinda wanted you to at least make peace."

"Angelica. You won't understand. It's best that I just go." She gets up, but Angela pulls her back down.

"Try me, Raynie." Angela squeezes her hand. "Help me understand why my friend and the guy who is like a brother to me can't be in the same room together. Shane won't tell me, he just says he's sorry."

"Angela, please. It's best that you don't know. I'm just..." Rayanne is crying as she jumps up and runs upstairs.

Angela runs up the stairs behind her and stands in the door of the room Rayanne had been using. Rayanne is gathering the rest of her things. "Rayanne, please just tell me. I promise I'll let it go, if you just explain it to me."

"DAMN IT, ANGELA. You really want to know why Shane broke it off with me? He broke up with me because I told him I was using him so that I could be close to JORDAN. OKAY? Is that what you wanted to hear?" Rayanne walks over to the other side of the bed to put distance between her and Angela.

"I got wasted one night. Shane was pissed because he found out I was using again. He told me that he loved me. That he had loved me for years and he wanted me to get help. I was wasted out of my mind! I laughed at him and told him that I didn't love him. I wanted Jordan and I couldn't have him, so I started screwing the next best thing, Shane." She let out a bitter laugh. "Shane wanted me. He loved me, but still, after everything that happened, I wanted Jordan."

"Rayanne! What the fuck are you talking about? You told me you never wanted Jordan." Angela can't believe what she's saying.

"Oh, please. Angela, even you aren't that naïve! I fucked Jordan in the back of his car. Yeah, I may have been a little drunk, but I knew what I was doing! And the worst part of it? I knew he was almost out of it. He kept saying your name the whole time. I didn't enjoy it at all. I knew he was head over heels in love with you, but I used that to be with him." Shaking her head, she looks down to the floor.

Angela still standing in the doorway, puts her hand over her face. "Rayanne, I've moved past all that. I forgave you. That was all so long ago. I thought you were my friend. Has it all been a lie? All this time, you haven't been my friend?"

"I am, or at least I want to be. I do love you, Angela. Hell, I want to be you. I still wish I could have what you have. You have everything. You have Jordan, you have Maddie and the baby, you have a family that loves you. You live this perfect little suburban life with your rockstar husband and what do I have? I have my gay best friend and his lover and a half ass career as an actress. I have nothing!"

Moving back around the bed to stand in front of Angela, Rayanne continues, "Angela, I would never, ever try to interfere with your marriage. Anyone with eyes can see how much Catalano adores you. He won't even look at another woman. I tried to be with Shane, I really did. I hurt him, not the other way around. Last night, he told me he still loves me. Can you believe that? I don't love him back."

Grabbing Angela by the hands, she looks her in the eye. "Don't you understand? I never wanted you to know that. You and Jordan are happy, really happy. I do love you guys."

"Rayanne, I don't know what to say. Are you saying you're still in love with my husband? After all this time?" Angela pulls her hands away.

Instead of answering her, Rayanne walks over to her suitcase and picks it up. She grabs her purse and heads for the door.

"Damn it, Rayanne. You can't leave like this. You have to stay and face me. What am I supposed to say to Jordan?" Crying now, Angela backs out the door and lets Rayanne pass with her bags. She follows her down the stairs. "Rayanne, talk to me."

"Angela, you don't have to say anything to Jordan. He walked in on me and Shane last night when we were yelling at each other. He heard me tell Shane that I didn't want him because he could never be Jordan Catalano." Turning her back to Angela, she laughs. "Shane looked like someone had shot him. He ran out of here and Jordan followed him. I don't know what happened after that because I went upstairs to bed."

"Angelica, I promise I never meant to hurt you this way. I've been pretty good at pretending over the years, you know. I hope you can forgive me one day." She tries to hug Angela, but Angela pulls away.

"You know what? Shane is better off alone than with someone like you, Rayanne. I can not believe that you would use him that way. I can't believe that he could still have feelings for you after all this time. I was so sure that he did something to hurt you. I thought that's why you ran to New York to live with Ricky. It all makes more sense now." Wiping her eyes, Angela looks right at Rayanne. "I do have something to say to you before you leave my house. You're pining away for something you'll never have. You will never be me." Angela walks to the door and pulls it open. "Leave, Rayanne."

"Angelica, I'm sorry."

Rayanne picks up her bags and walks out the door. Shutting it behind her, Angela runs upstairs and lays on the bed crying herself to sleep.

Jordan, who is completely unaware of what happened, comes into the bedroom to find Angela asleep on the bed. He walks over and sits on the bed beside her. Brushing her hair from her face, he gently kisses her cheek.

Shaking her, he whispers her name. "Angela. Hey, babe, wake up." When she opens her eyes, he can tell that she'd been crying. "Hey, what happened with Rayanne? Did she leave?"

Rubbing her eyes, Angela sits up. "She left. I don't think we'll be hearing from her anytime soon, either." She heads to the bathroom. When she comes back into the room, she goes over to sit in Jordan's lap, hugging him to her.

"So, she just left? Did you talk to her?"

"Yeah, I did. She told me everything, way more than I needed to know. I was so not expecting her to say what she said. Did you know? I mean, before last night?" She lays her head on his shoulder.

"I had no idea. Shane never said a word." Pulling her tightly to him, he kisses her head. "I don't even know what to say."

"Jordan, you don't have to say anything at all. This was all Rayanne's doing. You didn't hurt Shane, she did." Pushing up from his lap, she stands beside the bed. "You talked to him last night?"

"He'll be alright. I think he's just relieved that it's finally in the open. It's been eating at him for years. I still can't believe he let us think their break up was his fault. He said it was better that way, so that it didn't mess with me and you, you know?" Leaning close to her, he buries his face in her now rounded belly and hugs her to him. Looking up at her, he says, "Red, you know I only want you, right?"

"I know." Smiling, she pulls him off the bed and toward the door. "We need to call Tommy and let him know that we won't be cooking out this afternoon, after all. Rayanne is gone and I know Shane won't be up to it. Wanna go to the park with Dani, Brian and the kids? It'll be fun."

"As long as you don't mind taking me out in public. You know how it is, once I get recognized, we won't have any peace." At the bottom of the stairs he pulls her back into his arms. He can't help but tease her. "Think you can share me with the public? The women won't leave me alone."

"Baby, I can't stop women from wanting you. I've watched women throw themselves at you since the first day I saw you leaning against the lockers in the hallway of Liberty High. There's just something about you that is irresistible to the female species. As long as it's my bed you come home and climb into, I'm okay with it. Nothing else matters." Smiling sweetly at her husband, she says, "Just make sure you grab a hat."

"Ok, babe, we'll go to the park. And we're taking Red, too. We can sit in the backseat with the top down and watch the fireworks like we used to. Happy 4th of July, Red."

**Review please! ~gagirl29**


	12. New beginnings

**New beginnings...**

**A/N: I still own nothing...only wish I did!**

One night in late July, Jordan is lying in his bunk on the bus thinking about Angela. It's 2 a.m., and he can't sleep. It had been over 3 weeks since he had last been home and he was missing her. Every time he closed his eyes, all he could see was her face. He couldn't wait for the next week to be over. Next Saturday, Residue is wrapping up their 8 month tour, and it can't come soon enough for him.

Jordan VO: _I'm tired of this damn bunk on this damn bus. I can't wait to go to sleep with her in my arms every night. I love her just as much today as I did the first time I said the words to her._

_**That night** 1995_

"Jordan, why did you bring me to the loft?" Angela asked as we pulled up out front. She'd been quiet since we got in the car. Not really looking at me, just staring out the passenger side window.

"I should tell you something, so I like thought we could come here to talk, or whatever." I shut off the engine and reached for her hand, but she pulled away.

"You know what, just take me back home. I can't do this tonight." She continues to sit in the car, not moving.

I laid my head back against the seat and closed my eyes for a minute. When I opened my eyes and looked over at her, she looked like she was about to cry.

Jordan VO: _Shit. I've gotta tell her how I feel. This is all so fucked up. Why can't I just say it?_

Not wanting to see her cry, I looked away. "Look, Angela. I need for you to know that I didn't write that letter. I mean, I did write it, it was my handwriting and all, but I asked Brain to help me." I looked back at her and there were tears streaming down her face. I wanted so bad to pull her into my arms and hold her, but I thought she would push me away again, so I just sat there watching her cry.

"I know you didn't write the letter. Brian told Ricky that he wrote it for you. But why, Jordan? Why did you need help? And why did you ask Brian, of all people, to help you? Don't you understand? He really wrote that letter to me, not just for you, but for him." I could tell that she was really upset.

"God, Angela. I tried to talk to you. You know, like the other day in Katimski's? You wouldn't even look at me." I reached for her hand again and this time she didn't pull away. "I don't know what to say to you."

"How about, 'Angela, I'm sorry'. That usually works." Laughing harshly, she shook her head. "I loved that letter, Jordan. I was so happy when I read it. It was everything I ever wanted you to say. But you didn't say those things to me. Don't you see, those were Brian's words."

"I thought that's what you wanted, all those pretty words. Damn it, Angela, I can't give you that. I asked Brian to help me because when it comes to you, I can't even put two fucking sentences together. I tried, to you know, write you over and over again, but it all came out wrong." I pulled her closer to me on the seat. "Look, I know that I've done some really stupid shit. I really am sorry, not just about the letter, but about everything."

"Why couldn't you just say that to me? Am I so hard to talk to?" She put her hand on my face and looked up at me. "I think I understand why you asked Brian for help, but it doesn't change the fact that those weren't your words. You can't just give me a love letter written by someone else and expect everything to be ok."

"I really fucked up, is that what you want me to say? I know I hurt you. I'm a dumb ass and I pushed you away because you wouldn't have sex with me. And then, I couldn't stay away from you. Christ, Angela, I just wanted to be with you. You were the one person who actually cared about me. All of a sudden, you weren't there anymore. I mean, I still saw you, but you stopped talking to me like you used to, and then I saw you looking at that Corey guy like you used to look at me." I let go of her hand and ran my fingers through my hair. "I couldn't stand it. I went out that night and got wasted. I wanted to like forget it all. I ran into Graff and she was drinking, too. That's how it all happened."

"Jordan, I don't want you to tell me about that. I don't want to know." She took my hand again. "I forgive you but I haven't forgotten about it. You were my, well, almost boyfriend, but she was my best friend. She betrayed me."

"Angela, I need to tell you so that you'll understand. Then maybe you and Graff can like work things out. It wasn't like that with her. I was so fucked up and we were talking about you. I couldn't stop picturing you with that guy and I was missing you so much. I don't even know how it happened. I just kinda remember afterward." Talking about it was making me sick to my stomach, but I had to tell her.

"But we weren't together, Jordan. Not that I didn't want to be with you. I did everything I could to be around you, including doing your homework. You're the one who told me that we were just friends and you didn't want to take advantage of me anymore. That's why I signed you up for tutoring. I thought you wanted me to forget about you." Sighing loudly, she continued, "And I have to admit, I saw you watching me in the hall that day. I was trying to make you jealous."

"Well, it damn sure worked! I wanted to kill that guy." I pulled her into my arms and when she didn't pull away, I kissed her. "Will you please come inside with me? I have something I want to show you."

"Just for a little while. I need to get back home." She kissed my cheek. I opened my door and pulled her out behind me. We walked the steps to the loft holding hands.

When we got inside, I sat her down in the hammock before I walked over to my guitar and picked it up. I pulled a chair over to sit in front of her. She was sitting there looking at me expectantly. "I wrote you a song. I want to play it for you."

Jordan VO: _I can't believe how nervous I am. What if she doesn't like it? God, this girl scares me to death._

I can't believe that she's sitting in front of me, looking at me like she used to. I closed my eyes and started singing softly to her.

What if I wanted to break  
>Laugh it all off in your face<br>What would you do?  
>What if I fell to the floor<br>Couldn't take this anymore  
>What would you do, do, do?<p>

Come break me down  
>Bury me, bury me<br>I am finished with you

What if I wanted to fight  
>Beg for the rest of my life<br>What would you do?  
>You say you wanted more<br>What are you waiting for?  
>I'm not running from you<p>

Come break me down  
>Bury me, bury me<br>I am finished with you  
>Look in my eyes<br>You're killing me, killing me  
>All I wanted was you<p>

I tried to be someone else  
>But nothing seemed to change<br>I know now, this is who I really am inside.  
>Finally found myself<br>Fighting for a chance.  
>I know now, this is who I really am.<p>

When I opened my eyes and looked up at her, she was crying again. I sat my guitar on the floor and walked over to the hammock where she was sitting. Kneeling on the floor in front of her, I took her by the hands. "Angela, why are you crying, babe?"

"Oh, Jordan. It was beautiful. Did you really write that for me?"

"Red, every song I've written since I met you has been for you. I can't get you out of my head. I thought I could forget you. I thought I could just walk away, but I like can't. I've never felt the way I feel for you before. I don't know how to handle these feelings." I couldn't resist, I leaned in and gave her a long, slow kiss. I pulled back and looked her in the eye. "Angela, I love you."

_Present day_

Not really thinking about it, he picks up his phone and calls her. Sleepily she answers the phone, "Jordan? Is everything ok?"

"Hey, babe. Yeah, everything's ok. I was just lying here thinking about you. I can't sleep and I wanted to hear your voice." He rubs his hand down his face. "I miss you, Red. I can't wait for the next 10 days to be over."

Now awake, Angela chuckles. "Jordan, you do know it's after 2 a.m., right? I miss you, too. But you interrupted my beauty sleep."

"Aw, babe. I wasn't even thinking about the time. I'm sorry. I was just wishing I were home in bed with you, instead of on this damn tour bus. I want to see your beautiful face when I wake up every morning, instead of having to look at Shane and Tommy. I want to be there to see your body change as our baby grows inside of you. I just want to be home with you and Maddie."

Rolling over onto his side facing the wall, he pulls the covers up to his chin and he whispers to her, "Hey, Red, what are you wearing?"

"JORDAN! I'm so not doing this with you. And besides, I'm 5 and a half months pregnant. You don't want to fantasize about that." She laughs out loud.

"What? You used to do this with me. Don't you remember all the nights we stayed up late talking on the phone? You may not have been ready to go all the way, but you sure as hell liked to talk dirty to me. I had no idea that you even knew about half the stuff you used to say to me." Smiling to himself, he says, "C'mon, baby. Have some pity on me."

"Jordan, you're on a bus with your friends. I will not have phone sex with you."

"An-ge-la, just tell me what you have on. Please?" He loves to tease her like this.

"Oh my god, I'm hanging up now. You need to get some sleep since you have a show tomorrow. Call me when you wake up, at a decent hour."

"Oh, alright. Go back to sleep and I'll lay here and fantasize about what your hair looks like spread out on my pillow and how your breasts are swollen and perky. I'll think about running my hands over your soft round belly and your creamy thighs." Not wanting to hang up, but knowing they both need sleep, he says, "Good night, babe. I love you."

"I love you, too. I'll talk to you later." Just as she's about to hang up, she whispers, "Jordan, I'm not wearing anything."

Before he can say anything the line is dead. With her still on his mind, it was a long time before he gave in to sleep. When he did, he had a smile on his face.


	13. Taking it all in

**Taking it all in...**

**A/N: I own nothing...**

Saturday morning, Angela, Maddie, and Jamie arrive at the Hilton in New York. Jordan had already reserved a suite for them and he and the guys had already checked in. They walk over to the desk to get the key he left for them. As they're crossing the lobby, heading toward the elevators, Angela's phone rings. Pulling it out of her purse, she sees that it's Ricky.

"Hey, Ricky. We just got to the hotel." She watches as Maddie pushes the button for the elevator. "You and Simon are still coming tonight, aren't you?"

"Hey, Angela. We're coming. I mean, Simon and I are, but I think Rayanne wants to come, too." He hesitates before asking, "Is that alright?"

"Ricky! No, it's not alright. How could you even ask that? I don't want her there and I know that Jordan and Shane don't want her there, either." Getting into the elevator, she pushes the button for their floor.

"Angela, why not? Really, what did she do? At least she told the truth, right? It's not like she made a play for Jordan or anything."

"I can't talk about this right now, ok? I have Maddie and Jamie with me. Can I call you back in a little while?" They get off the elevator and head for their room.

"Angela, just think about it. What could it hurt? I'll talk to you later." Ricky ends the call, leaving Angela confused.

Angela VO: _Why is Ricky taking her side? Does he even know what's going on? What am I supposed to do, just put on a happy face and pretend that nothing happened? _

Angela opens the door to their suite and the kids rush inside. She's walking across the room when she sees a note with her name on in laying on the table. The kids go straight to the balcony, checking out the view.

"_Angela, we had to do some interviews this morning. We should be back after lunch. Tell the kids to order room service. Get some rest. Love you, ~J __."_

Deciding to take his advice, she calls out to the kids, "Hey, guys, I'm going to lay down for a bit before Jordan gets back. He says that he'll be here after lunch and you can order room service. Just don't go crazy with it, ok?" She walks into the master bedroom and turns back to them. "Don't open the door for anyone but room service, either."

She shuts the door and crawls into the unmade bed and pulls the covers up over her, falling asleep almost instantly.

* * *

><p>Around one o'clock, Jordan, Shane and Tommy are getting off the elevator walking toward their suites. Shane looks over at Jordan and shakes his head, laughing. "Damn, Jay. That thing is messed up. I can't wait until Angela sees it."<p>

"I think pink looks good on you." Tommy says, punching Jordan in the arm.

"Oh, shut the fuck up, both of you. I did this for my daughter. And it's not pink, it's pomegranate!" Jordan, sporting his now pink mohawk, laughs with them. "I'm cutting it after the show. I'll see you guys in a bit. I'm going to spend some time with my family."

Tommy and Shane stop at their door and Jordan continues to his. He unlocks the door and walks in. Maddie looks up and sees him.

"Oh my gosh, Dad! I love it!" She runs to him and he hugs her. "I can't believe you did it. This is so cool!"

Jordan and Maddie walk over to the sofa where Jamie is watching TV. "Man, Jay. I didn't think you'd really do it. It's cool. Can I touch it?" Jamie reaches over and touches the spikes. "How is it staying up like that?"

"They used some kind of hair gel. Don't get your hopes up, Maddie. After the show tonight, I'm cutting it." Looking around, he wonders where Angela is. "Where is your mom?"

"She's laying down, Dad. She said she was tired." Maddie sits down beside Jamie and turns back to the TV.

Jordan walked across the room and quietly opened the bedroom. Angela was laying on her side with her hand under her face. Not wanting to wake her, he gently closes the door behind him. He sits down beside her on the bed, content just to watch her sleep.

After a few minutes, she starts to wake. She rolls over on to her back and slowly opens her eyes. When she sees him, she smiles. Her smile quickly turns to shock as she takes in his appearance. "Oh, no. Jordan, what did you do?" She pushes herself into a sitting position, before reaching over to touch his hair. Watching him grin, she says to him, "I'm going to kill you! This isn't funny."

Trying not to laugh, he pulls her to him. "Isn't only hair, Babe. It'll grow back."

Burying her face in his shoulder, she starts laughing herself. "I bet Maddie loved it, didn't she? She said she wanted a pink mohawk."

"It's not pink. It's called 'pomegranate'. I wanted 'crimson glow', but they didn't have it." Hugging her, he whispers, "What, you don't like it?"

"Jordan, you could shave your head and you'd still be sexy. I just can't believe you did it."

"Well, after the show, I'm cutting it all off. I did this just for Maddie's birthday." He pushes her away from him a bit. "Let me look at you." He pulls her shirt up and rubs her belly. "He's getting big, huh? Is he moving around a lot?"

"I can tell he's there, that's for sure. He's seems to like laying on my kidneys." She takes his hand and places it lower on her stomach.

Jordan leans down and kisses her belly. "Hey, little guy. It's your dad. Wake up and move around for me." He talks to the baby as if it can understand him. And as if the baby hears him, he feels a slight flutter against his hand. "Hey, I felt that. Guess he heard me." He kisses her softly. "What about you? How are you feeling? Any problems?"

"No, Jordan. I told you I'm fine. The doctor says I'm healthy and the baby is healthy. We have nothing to worry about."

"Your blood pressure's ok? You aren't overdoing it?"

"I'm fine. Stop worrying!"

"I can't help but worry. I'm ready to get tonight over with so that I can spend the next 3 months making sure you're relaxed and happy. I dare anybody to upset you. You don't need any stress." An odd expression crosses her face. "What?"

"Well, I talked to Ricky earlier. Rayanne wants to come to the show tonight. I told him that we don't want her there." Frowning, she continues, "It's not so much her being at the show that bothers me. Ricky will want to come backstage with us after the show and if he and Simon do and Rayanne is with them, she'll expect to, as well. I don't think I want for her to be in the same stadium with you, much less the same room."

"Ah, Angela. Trust me, I know how you feel. I don't want her upsetting you, but I also want her to stay away from Shane. He's torn up about all this." Getting up from the bed, he reaches out to help her up. "You know that I can handle myself. She doesn't bother me."

"Well, I'm going to tell him that I don't want her there. She'll just have to get over it." Heading to the bathroom, she looks back over her shoulder at him. "I think your pink mohawk is hot!" She grins at him and shuts the door.

"It's not PINK!" Rolling his eyes, but still grinning, he opens the door and walks out of the room.

* * *

><p>A few hours before the show, Angela is in the hotel room getting ready. Jordan had taken Maddie and Jamie with him so that he could take them backstage and let them check everything out. Angela was putting on her makeup when there was a knock on the door.<p>

She looks out the peephole and sees Ricky, Simon and Rayanne standing there. Opening the door with a scowl on her face, she looks at Ricky. "Damn it, Ricky. I told you that I don't want to see her. Neither do Jordan or Shane."

"Angela, can we come in, please?" Ricky gives her a pleading look.

Angela steps back to let them in. "This can't take long. I've got to leave in a few minutes. The kids are with Jordan and I need to go be with them so that he can get ready." Ricky and Simon pass, then Rayanne, who is looking at the floor. "Have a seat. I'll be right back."

Angela goes into the bedroom and gathers her things. She picks up her phone and decides to text Jordan. "_J, They brought her, anyway. What should I do? ~A."_

Jordan wastes no time replying. "_Don't argue with her. Let her come. It'll be ok. DON'T get upset. Love you, ~J."_

She slips her phone into her purse and heads back into the sitting room. "I'm leaving. If you guys are coming, let's go." She starts turning off the lights as they all walk out into the hallway. She pulls the door shut behind her and walks toward the elevator, not saying anything.

Angela doesn't speak until they're walking across the lobby. "Rayanne, the only reason you're coming with us is because Jordan said it was ok. Don't go near Shane. He doesn't need this shit."

"Angelica, I just want us to go back to the way we were. Can we do that?" Rayanne turns to look at her as they're walking through the doors to step outside.

"What do you expect me to do, Rayanne? Pretend like you didn't tell me that you've been in love with my husband for all these years? Am I supposed forget all that? And what about Shane?" While they were talking, Simon haled a cab for them. They pile in the back and Simon sits up front with the driver.

Rayanne reaches for one of Angela's hands. "I'm really sorry, Angela. I never wanted you to know. I love you guys."

Pulling her hand away, Angela lets out a bitter laugh. "Yeah, well I know you love Jordan. You told me that already. I can't get that out of my head." Tucking her hair behind her ear, Angela turns to face Ricky. "I want you guys to go to our seats. I'm not taking her backstage with me. Ricky, you and I will talk about this later."

They arrive at Madison Square Garden and Angela heads in to find Deborah, leaving Ricky, Simon and Rayanne standing on the sidewalk. Deborah gives her a backstage pass and she heads for the dressing room. When she gets there, the guys are all dressed for the show. Maddie and Jamie are sitting with Jordan on a small sofa, while Shane and Tommy are sitting at the table in the corner. They're all talking about what happens during a show.

Jordan, seeing that Angela is upset, gets up and walks over to her and pulls her into his arms. "Hey, don't worry. Forget about her and just enjoy the show."

"Yeah, that's easy for you to say. You don't have to sit with her. She told me she just wants us to go back to the way things were before it ever happened. How am I supposed to do that?" She sighs and lays her head on his shoulder.

"Well, don't think about her. Just think about me, huh? I put you guys to the left of the stage. I don't want you down on the floor because it gets crazy down there." Giving her one last kiss, he lets her go. "You guys better get out there. We go on in just a little while. Have fun, ok?"

She and the kids wish the guys luck and head out to their seats.

* * *

><p>Their seats were front row, right at the corner of the stage. The place was packed and more people were piling in. Maddie and Jamie were really excited, neither had been in the audience for one of Residue's shows. Maddie was rambling on and on to Ricky and Simon about how cool everything was. "Just wait, Uncle Ricky. Wait until you see Dad's hair! He did it just for me."<p>

Angela VO: _How do kids do it? How can they block everything out like they do? Why can't I do that? Right now, I just want to scream._

Simon, who had gotten up to sit beside Angela asks, "So, Angela, are you just going to ignore Rayanne for the rest of the night?"

"Well, yeah, that was the plan." Not wanting to talk about it, she changes the subject. "I'm glad you came, Simon. I haven't got to spend much time with you and Ricky." Ricky and Simon had only been together for about a year. They had met the year before when Simon was designing the set on one of the shows Rayanne was performing in.

"Ricky and Rayanne were excited about this concert. I have to be honest, this really isn't my kind of music. I'm going to take my seat now. Would you just listen to Rayanne?" He moves back to his seat and Maddie sits down beside Angela on her right and Jamie sits on the other side of Maddie. Rayanne takes the seat on Angela's left.

Angela VO: _So, I can do this. I can just pretend like she's not here. I won't let her get to me._

Just as Rayanne turns to Angela, the lights go down and Residue takes the stage.

**REVIEW, review please!**


	14. Letting it go

**Letting it go**

**A/N: I still own nothing...**

_Late May 1995_

It had been a few months since Jordan and Angela had gotten back together. She and Rayanne still weren't talking and everyone, including Jordan was tired of watching them dance around each other. They were walking down the hall toward Katimski's holding hands as Rayanne was walking toward them.

Seeing them, Rayanne turned to go the other way. Jordan pulled her to a stop. "Angela, how long are you two gonna like avoid each other? Can't you just let it go?"

"Jordan, you don't get it." Sighing dramatically, she rolls her eyes. "She broke an unwritten law or something. I can't get over that."

"Well, you forgave me, didn't you? It happened, like months ago. You know you miss her." Tugging her close, he kisses her. "Just talk to her, babe. This is driving me crazy, already." He pulls her in the classroom just as the bell rings.

Angela sits at her desk and Jordan sits behind her. She takes out her notebook and pencil and Mr. Katimski starts going over the stuff for the final. She's only half listening.

Angela VO: _O-kay. What was that? Did Jordan really just tell me to forgive Rayanne? What universe is this? Am I even awake? I mean, how am I supposed to forgive her? She KNEW how I felt about Jordan. How do I just let it go?_

Not wanting to dwell on Rayanne anymore, she starts thinking about Jordan. She can't believe how much he's changed in just the few months they'd been back together.

They spend all their free time together. The trips to the boiler room are less frequent because Jordan is trying to do better in school. Since he and Brian had fallen out, she had started tutoring him. His grades have come up and he was actually going to be a Senior next year. She's so proud of him. And when she told him that she didn't like for him to smoke, he quit. He said he just smoked because it was something to do, anyway.

He picked her up every morning for school and on the days he didn't have to work, he took her home. He hadn't once pressured her about having sex with him. It wasn't because they didn't make out, because they did that all the time, too.

Before long the bell rings and Angela realizes she hasn't taken one single note. Her paper is covered in hearts and she's written Jordan's name over and over again. He steps up beside her desk and looks down at her paper.

Chuckling, he asks, "Can I see your notes? I wanna make sure I got everything." He laughs as she blushes and slams her notebook shut.

"Oh, stop it. I guess we'll both have to use yours." He waits for her to pack everything into her bag and takes her hand as they walk out together.

"So, we've got practice this afternoon. You gonna be there? Tino has been hanging around again, so I'm sure Graff will be there, too. You could like talk to her or whatever." They stop in front of her locker and he opens it so she can put her books inside. He turns to lean against the locker beside hers while he waits.

"Are you serious, Jordan? What's with this all of a sudden?" She tucks her hair behind her ear and leans into him. "I just want to forget it ever happened."

Wrapping his arms around her waist, he says, "Well, until you guys like talk about it and quit avoiding each other, you won't forget about it. You said you understood, right? So, do this for me. Me, and Ricky and Cherski, and Tino..."

"Ok, ok. I get it! I'll talk to her. Geez, shut up about it." She kisses him and pulls away. "I gotta go to geometry."

Pulling her back to him, he whispers in her ear, "Love you, Red." Then louder, "Try to take some notes, ok."

Blushing, "Oh, whatever! I love you, too." She's smiling as she walks away.

* * *

><p>Later that night, Jordan, Shane and Tommy are practicing at the loft. They're getting ready to play at Vertigo for open mic night again on Saturday. They're starting to get really good. Jordan has been singing since their first night at Vertigo, when Rayanne had ran out. They're calling themselves Residue now.<p>

Angela is sitting on the floor up against the wall pretending to study for her Geometry final, sneaking glances at Jordan. She's got her book open in her lap, but she hasn't turned a single page.

Angela VO: _He is so hot. Just look at him, so absorbed in his music. This is what he's supposed to be doing. He's a natural. One day, he's going to be famous. One day, I will be able to say "Jordan Catalano, the Jordan Catalano, was my boyfriend in high school." _

The guys finish the song they were working on and Jordan comes over to sit with her on the floor. He kisses her on the cheek. "Hey, babe, you're supposed to be studying that geometry, not me." He takes the book from her lap and closes it before pulling her around in front of him with her back to his chest and he puts his arms around her. "We're almost done. We're just gonna play a few more songs and then we can get out of here."

Pushing her hair aside, he kisses her on the neck. "I'm glad you're here. I sing better when you're here listening to me or whatever. I'm singing to you, you know."

"Aw, Jordan, that's so sweet." She turns in his arms and they start kissing. They pull apart when they hear Shane making gagging noises.

"Catalano, let's finish this and then you two lovebirds can get out of here. We don't wanna see that mushy shit, man!" Shane sits back down in front of his drums.

Jordan gets up from the floor and heads back to finish practice. As they start the next song, Tino and Rayanne walk in. Jordan, having seen them come in, motions to Angela to go talk to her. She gets up and goes over to Rayanne.

"Hey, Rayanne. Can we talk, like alone?" She shifts from one foot to the other. "Please, Rayanne?"

Rayanne hesistates, then starts walking toward the door. "Come outside. We'll talk out there."

They walk outside. Angela walks over and sits on the trunk of Jordan's car. Rayanne stands in front of her. "Rayanne, I've been talking to Jordan and he thinks I should put all this behind us. What I mean to say is, I think I've forgiven you. Well, I _have_ forgiven you, both you and Jordan. It's taken me a while, but I think I can forget about what happened."

"Oh, so Jordan told you to forgive me, so you forgive me? Are you like, only doing this because Catalano told you to?" Pacing back and forth, Rayanne starts to get aggitated. "So you can't forgive me on your own, but he tells you to and bam, 'I forgive you, Rayanne'. I don't believe this! Angelica, you haven't spoken to me in months. I told you how I screwed up. I told you how I felt, but you wouldn't even talk to me. Now lover boy tells you to and you jump on it!"

"Rayanne, it's not like that. I miss you. Jordan can see how much this is bothering me. He just encouraged me to face it all." Jumping down from the car, Angela stops Rayanne from pacing. "What you did really hurt me, Raynie. You were my best friend. You _knew _how much he meant to me. I just couldn't understand how you could do that to me."

"Angelica, I wasn't the only one there. _He _was there, too. Your precious boyfriend was a part of it. I didn't do it all by myself." Now crying, Rayanne looks Angela in the eye. "How could you forgive him and not me? All this time, you've been with him, but you haven't given me a second thought!"

"That's not true, Rayanne. I've thought about this a lot. I've been really upset about it all. I didn't just forget about what he did, either. It took us a while to work through it. The difference is, he and I weren't together. He came to me and apologized. He really was sorry. You never even tried to apologize."

"Ohhh, I know how he _apologized_. He apologized to you using Krakow's love letter!" Pacing again, Rayanne continues, "He didn't have the balls to do it himself!"

"You're wrong. He did give me Brian's letter, but he told me that he didn't write it." Leaning back against the car, Angela puts her hand out to stop her. "Rayanne, let's just try to be friends again, ok? I think everyone else is getting sick of this thing between us. I'm trying here. Meet me halfway?"

"So like, we just hug and go back to the way we were? Just like that?" Rayanne wipes her face on her sleeve.

"Well, yeah. But Rayanne, don't ever do anything like that to me again. I swear, if you do, I will never ever speak to you for as long as I live." Angela and Rayanne hug. "I missed you, Rayanne. I don't like fighting with you."

"Ah, God, Angelica. I've been miserable! I missed you so much!" They walk back toward the loft together holding hands.

* * *

><p>Jordan pulls up in front of Angela's house and turns the engine off. He opens the door and pulls her out behind him. Taking her hand, he walks her with her toward the house. When they get to the steps, he stops her. She's standing on the top step, eye level with him.<p>

Reaching up to tuck her hair behind her ear, he smiles at her. "Feel better now?"

Rolling her eyes, Angela pokes him in the ribs. "Yeah, I feel better. I'm glad you pushed me to do it. I really did miss her."

"I know, that's why I wanted you to get it over with." He leans in for a kiss and she wraps her arms around his neck. "I'd much rather see that beautiful smile instead of the scrunched up look you got every time we ran into Graff. I just want you to be happy."

"I know. I am happy. I've got the best boyfriend in the whole world, why wouldn't I be happy?" With her lips almost touching his, she whispers, "I love you, Jordan Catalano."

After they kiss for what seems like hours standing on her parents porch, Jordan pulls away. "You better go in. I think Danielle has been peeking out the window at us." He hugs her tight before letting her go.

She turns to walk to the door as he walks back toward his car. She has her hand on the door knob when he calls out to her. "Hey, Red." She turns to look at him. "I love you, too." He's smiling as he gets in the car and drives away.


	15. In the spotlight

**In the spotlight**

**A/N: I own nothing...**

Jordan, Shane and Tommy walk out on the stage in front of the crowd of 20,000 fans at Madison Square Garden. Over the past 8 months, they'd played over 150 shows all over the country, but this one felt different to Jordan. He looks over to where Angela and Maddie were sitting.

Walking up to the microphone, he scanned the crowd. As the lights slowly come up, he watches the reaction of the fans. Knowing that this is the last time he'll perform to an audience this size for a while, he takes it all in. As the crowd starts to quieten, he speaks. "Hello, New York! We're Residue."

As Shane starts beating out the first song, one of their faster ones, Jordan forgets everything but his music. As he starts to sing, he gets the crowd more and more involved. Before long, the crowd is singing back to him and he's running around the stage.

They perform a few of their faster songs, with much the same result. As they're finishing up the last one, Jordan looks over at Angela and Maddie again. The seem to be enjoying the show. He smiles to himself as he notices how Angela is turned, with her back to Rayanne but still facing the stage.

Jordan VO: _I know Angela is gonna kill me for this, but it's Maddie's birthday tomorrow, so she'll understand. You only live once, right?_

Jordan stops to take a drink of water and give the guys a breather. Taking the mic from the stand, he walks to the front of the stage and props his foot on a speaker. "So, everyone enjoying the show so far?" He pauses as the fans cheer. "Good, good. We aim to please." After more cheering, he goes on. "Well, I'd like to introduce you to our guest of honor tonight."

Walking over toward the edge of the stage closest to Angela and Maddie, he motions to the stagehand. "Somebody get me a spotlight over here, please?" He jumps off the edge of the stage and walks up to his girls. Leaning over the rail he kisses Angela and then pulls Maddie up beside him. "Boys and Girls, this little lady right here is my daughter, Madison Elizabeth Catalano. Tomorrow is her 11th birthday. Show her some love." He hugs Maddie to him as the crowd cheers and yells "Happy Birthday" to her. "Seeing as this is 'Madison' Square garden and this is my Madison's birthday, I think she should chose our next song. What do you wanna hear, Maddie?"

Too shy to say it in the microphone, she pulls Jordan down to her and whispers in his ear. He smiles to her and kisses her cheek. "Ok, guys. She wants to hear 'Closer to the edge'. Just for you, baby girl." He hugs her again and winks at Angela as he makes his way back to the stage. When he's in front of the mic stand, he says "Oh, and you can thank her for the mohawk. I did it for her, because that's what she wanted. Happy Birthday, Maddie!"

I remember one moment, I tried to forget  
>I lost myself, is it better not said<br>Now I'm closer to the edge

It was a thousand to one  
>And a million to two<br>Time to go down in flames and I'm taking you  
>Closer to the edge<p>

No, I'm not saying I'm sorry  
>One day maybe we'll meet again<br>No, I'm not saying I'm sorry  
>One day maybe we'll meet again<br>NO NO NO NO

Can can can you imagine a time when the truth ran free  
>The birth of a sun and the death of a dream<br>Closer to the edge

This never ending story  
>Paid for with pride and fate<br>We all fall short of glory  
>LOST IN OUR FATE<p>

No, I'm not saying I'm sorry  
>One day maybe we'll meet again<br>No, I'm not saying I'm sorry  
>One day maybe we'll meet again<br>NO NO NO NO

NO NO NO NO

I will never forget  
>NO NO<br>I will never regret  
>NO NO<br>I WILL LIVE MY LIFE  
>NO NO NO NO<br>I will never forget  
>NO NO<br>I will never regret  
>NO NO<br>I WILL LIVE MY LIFE

No, I'm not saying I'm sorry  
>One day maybe we'll meet again<br>NO NO  
>No, I'm not saying I'm sorry<br>One day maybe we'll meet again  
>NO NO NO NO<p>

Closer to the edge  
>Closer to the edge<br>NO NO NO NO

Closer to the edge  
>Closer to the edge<br>NO NO NO NO

Closer to the edge

* * *

><p>Angela is watching the crowd as Residue is winding down the show. Jordan had played an acoustic set by himself with just his guitar and now Shane and Tommy were back on stage. After playing a few more songs, Jordan lays down his guitar and addresses the crowd. "We want to thank you guys for coming out. Hope you enjoyed tonight's show. Good night, New York!"<p>

Shane and Tommy make their way backstage and Jordan walks over toward Angela and the gang. He's stopped several times by fans wanting to say hi. After about 10 minutes, he motions for one of the security guards to come over to him. The security guard walks over to the gate closest to Angela and unlocks it for them.

Jordan, having broke away from the fans, runs to catch up with Angela, Maddie and Jamie followed by Ricky, Simon and Rayanne as they make their way down the hall heading backstage. When they get to the dressing room, Shane, Tommy and Deborah are sitting around talking.

Jordan takes a seat on the sofa and pulls Angela down beside him. The kids take the seats in front of the mirror and Ricky, Simon and Rayanne are left standing near the door. Oblivious to the tension in the room, Maddie and Jamie are going on and on about the show. Angela makes eye contact with Shane and he just shrugs and looks away.

Ricky is the first to speak. "Hey, guys, the show was great. You've come a long way from our high school days."

Angela mumbles under her breath, "Uh, apparently some of us are still stuck in those days."

Jordan, being the only one who heard her, tries not to laugh. "Thanks, Ricky. I'm glad you all got to come."

After a few minutes of chit chat, Tommy and Deborah excuse themselves. Angela, who refuses to look at Rayanne, asks Ricky about his latest video. He's telling them about working with the pop princess from hell when Shane gets up and leaves the room. Angela and Jordan exchange glances, but neither say a word.

"Well, we just wanted to come back and say hi to you guys. So, I guess we're going to head home. Thanks again for inviting us." Ricky bends down to kiss Angela and whispers, "I'll call you soon. I know I'm not going to get off easy on this one."

"Ricky, it was really nice seeing you. I'm sorry that we didn't get to spend much time together." She gets up from the sofa to hug Ricky and then Simon. "Take care of him, Simon."

Ricky and Simon start out of the room, but Rayanne hangs back. "You coming, Rayanne?" Ricky asks.

"Ricky, I need to talk to Angela and Jordan. I'll take a cab home, ok? You and Simon go on. I'll be fine." Rayanne kisses Ricky's cheek and turns to look at Angela.

Not wanting the kids to witness the inevitable argument about to take place, Jordan asks Maddie and Jamie to go and find Deborah and see if they could help pack up the stage or something. When the kids leave the room, he shuts the door behind him.

Jordan walks over to stand beside Angela, with his hand on her back. "Rayanne, just say what you have to say and leave. Angela doesn't need to get upset."

"I don't want to upset her. I just want to talk about what happened. I'm sorry that things came out like they did. It would have been better for everyone if Shane and I hadn't been pushed together. We both were fine just the way we were." She starts pacing back and forth. "Angela, I told you that you wouldn't like what I had to say, but you pushed and pushed. You wouldn't let it go and now look what happened."

"ARE YOU SERIOUS?" Angela blurts out. "So now this is my fault? If I hadn't pushed, then it never would have come out? You are so unbelievable! I have no blame in this whole fucked up situation, Rayanne. YOU did this, not me, not Jordan and not Shane." Angela pulls away from Jordan and walks up to Rayanne. "You seriously need help, Rayanne. How in the hell do you expect me to just forget that you told me you've been in love with my husband for the last 16 years?"

"Don't you see, Angelica? It doesn't change anything. You still have Catalano. It's not like he would ever leave you for me." Rayanne says, touching Angela's arm. "What are you worried about? Do you think I'm going to try to steal him from you?"

"Graff, don't say shit like that to her! I would never leave her for ANYONE. I don't give a fuck how you feel about me, but if you love Angela like you claim to, then leave her alone. She can't get all stressed out over this bullshit." Jordan, who is usually easygoing and laid back, is really pissed. "What happened between us was years ago. If I hadn't been completely wasted, it wouldn't have happened at all. I was, and still am, completely in love with Angela."

"Rayanne, I'm not worried at all that you would come between us. Nothing can come between us. What I'm upset about is how you used Shane. Shane is the victim here. You used him and hurt him for nothing." Shaking her head, Angela walks back over to Jordan and leans into him. "It saddens me to think that all these years, you let Shane take the blame for your breakup. Shane, trying to protect Jordan and me, let us believe that he was the bad guy."

"Angela, what do I need to do to make this better?" Rayanne, looking from Jordan to Angela, starts to cry. "I can't help how I feel. I wish to God I could."

"This is un-fucking-believable! What is wrong with you, Rayanne? How can you think you're in love with me? There was never anything between us." Throwing his head back in frustration, he sighs loudly. "If not for Tino and Angela, I wouldn't have let you anywhere near me."

"Don't I know it? All I had to do was follow Angela around and I got be with you, too. You couldn't stay away from her." Wiping her eyes, she continues, "Little Angelica wasn't the only one with an unhealthy Jordan Catalano obsession. She just got lucky because you took notice of her. How was I supposed to compete with little Miss Perfect?"

"You just pretty much told me that you used me the same way that you used Shane. I was just an excuse for you to be around my husband. Rayanne, I welcomed you into my home. I told you things about me and Jordan, private things. All these years, I thought you were my friend." Angela walks over to the door and pulls it open. "Rayanne, I want you to leave. I want you to walk out of this room and forget that we were ever friends. I want you to forget that Jordan Catalano ever existed. Don't call me, don't write me. I never want to see you again."

"Angela, please. Don't do this." Rayanne pleads with her. "I don't want to end our friendship this way."

"Rayanne, you heard her. She doesn't want you in our lives anymore." Jordan walks over and stands beside Angela. "You brought this all on yourself."

"I don't believe this! If you had never found out, then we would all still be friends. I bet you're sorry you ever tried to get me and Jones back together, aren't you?" Laughing bitterly, she heads out the door.

Angela calmly closes the door behind her. Jordan, who is still pissed, goes to run his fingers through his hair, before realizing that he can't because the 4 inch high pink spikes. He and Angela look at each other and laugh. "Wow. I don't think we've heard the last of her. She really is crazy!"

Pulling her into his arms, he asks, "You ok, babe?"

Holding his face in both hands, she reaches up to give him a kiss. "Surprisingly, I feel great. I don't want to talk about Rayanne Graff and all her craziness anymore."

"Oh, yeah? What do you wanna talk about?"

"I want to tell my hot, sexy rock star husband that he was awesome out there tonight. You made our daughter one happy little girl. She probably won't sleep tonight, you know?"

"Yeah. I thought she'd like that. Let's go find the kids and head back to the hotel. I can't wait until morning so that we can go home. I don't want to see the inside of that damn bus for a long, long time."

"Your wish is my command. Come on, let's go!" Hand in hand, they walk out the door.

**A/N 2: I tried really hard not to let Jordan become Jared, but being that Jordan _is _Jared I couldn't help it... Of course, the song is Closer to the Edge ~30STM I'm not done with Angela/Rayanne, either. Thanks for the reviews! Please keep 'em coming. :) ~gagirl29**


	16. Back to normal

**Part 3**

**Back to normal**

**A/N: I own nothing...**

It's 7 o'clock on a Thursday morning in September. Not wanting to wake Angela, Jordan rolls out of bed and shuts the alarm off. Maddie, who was now in middle school had to be at school by 8 o'clock, so he headed downstairs to make her breakfast.

They'd formed an easy routine in the 6 weeks he'd been home. He tried to let Angela sleep in every morning while Maddie got ready and then he would drop her off at school before returning home to spend the day with Angela. Not having to work everyday definitely had some perks.

He and Angela spent most days at home, hanging around the house. He spent all day making sure she was taking it easy and Angela spent all day trying to get him to quit babying her. He cooked most meals for them because he thought she shouldn't be on her feet for very long. He helped with the housework because he didn't want her overdoing it. He went with her to the grocery store and to doctors appointments and to run errands because she didn't need to be driving. He was only trying to make things easier on her, but she thought he was smothering her.

In the kitchen, Jordan fills the coffee maker with water and turns it on. Reaching in the cabinet, he pulls out a box of pancake mix and a bowl and gets to work. Once the pancakes are done, he calls to Maddie. "Come on, Mad. Get a move on. Your pancakes are getting cold."

Maddie walks in the kitchen with a scowl on her face. "Dad, you don't have to yell. I'm right here." She is so not a morning person. Seeing her plate, she starts to complain. "Why did you make pancakes? I don't want pancakes. I was going to eat a poptart."

"Madison, just eat your pancakes so we can go. You don't want to be late, do you?" He leans against the counter drinking his coffee. "You've got lunch money, right?"

"Yes, Dad, I've got lunch money."

"And you're riding the bus home?"

"Yes. I did my homework and I finished my report, too." Rolling her eyes, she sighs. "Anything else you want to know?"

"Well, since you asked, where did you get that smart mouth? Excuse me for trying to be a good parent." Chuckling, Jordan puts his empty cup in the sink and walks over to kiss her cheek. "Finish up, I'm going to start the car."

He heads out to the garage and starts Red. Maddie had told him when school started back that he had to take her to school in Red everyday because "that car was super cool." He didn't mind because it gave him a chance to take her out everyday.

Jordan VO: _They don't make cars like this anymore. She's definitely a classic. She brings back so many memories. Ahhh...I spent all of my teenage years in this car._

Sitting behind the wheel, Jordan can't help but think about how things used to be, before they grew up and life took over. He remembers all the times he and Angela spent inside this car. He remembers all the late nights sitting under the stars with the top down, he remembers all the drives with her sitting right beside him, her head on his shoulder and his arm around her. For that reason alone, he would never get rid of her.

Maddie opens the passenger door, pulling him out of his memories. "Alright, Dad. Quit dreaming about your car and take me to school. If I'm late, you have to sign me in and I don't want all my teachers acting stupid over _Jordan Catalano._"

Shaking his head, he backs out of the garage.

* * *

><p>Angela rolls over onto her side and pushes herself into a sitting position. She gets up and heads to the bathroom, the place where she seems to spend most of her time. After flushing the toilet, she moves to the sink to wash her hands and brush her teeth. Looking up at the mirror, she frowns at her reflection.<p>

Angela VO: _God, I'm fat! Just look at me, I'm swollen up like a balloon. Look at my hands, if they swell anymore, I'll have to take off my wedding rings. And my feet, do I even have ankles anymore? I've got 6 more weeks of this? Ugh!_

Sitting on the side of the tub, Angela starts to cry. That's how Jordan finds her.

"Babe, what's wrong? Are you ok?" He wipes the tears from her face.

"No, I'm not ok. Have you looked at me, Jordan? I'm fat! I look like a freaking whale!" She sniffles and reaches for the toilet paper so she can blow her nose.

"Aw, Babe, you aren't fat. You're pregnant. In a few months, you'll be back to normal." He sits beside her and holds her hand. "You look beautiful to me."

"Oh, shut up. Don't lie to me. I can see myself in the mirror." Growling in frustration, she goes back to the sink to wash her face and runs a brush through her hair.

"Angela, you aren't fat. There's nothing wrong with the way you look." He follows her back into the bedroom. "You're only upset because your hormones are all out of whack. It's nothing to cry about."

"My hormones? Did you just tell me my hormones are out of whack? What do you know about it? You aren't carrying a bowling ball around under you shirt!" Opening the closet door, she starts searching for something to wear. "I don't have anything that fits anymore." She pulls one of his t shirts off the hanger and not finding any pants, slams the door.

She starts rummaging through his dresser drawer and pulls out a pair of sweat pants. "Hell, it doesn't matter what I wear. All you're gonna let me do is sit on my ass anyway. No wonder I'm getting fat because you shove food down my throat and you don't let me do anything for myself!"

Trying not to laugh at her little tirade, Jordan just sits in the chair by the window and listens to her go on. "Just remember, when I weigh 200 pounds that it is your fault!" Continuing to mumble to herself, she pulls her nightgown over her head.

She reaches for his shirt, and he gets up and takes it from her, throwing it in the chair he just got up from. Pulling her against him he steals a kiss. "Red, you are not fat. You aren't. In fact, I think you look pretty sexy all swollen with my baby inside of you." He runs his hands down her back, across her hips and around to caress her belly. Kissing her again, he presses himself against her. "Want me to show you how sexy you are?"

He turns her around with her back to him and moves in front of the mirror. Running his hands over her naked breasts, down her sides and across her very round belly, he looks at the their reflection. "Angela, even if you were fat, which you aren't, I would still think you were the sexiest woman alive." He starts kissing his way across her shoulder and up the side of her neck. "Can't you tell how much I want you?"

Turning her back to face him, he holds her face in his hands. "You're beautiful to me. That's all that matters." Kissing her deeply, he pulls her to the bed with him. Pushing her down in the middle of the bed, he strips his clothes off and removes her panties, before laying down beside her.

"Remember the night I called you at 2 am? You told me that I wouldn't want to fantasize about your pregnant body. Well, you were wrong. I think about you all the time. I think about you like this. Your hair's on my pillow and you're looking up at me with those gorgeous green eyes. Your breasts, swollen with milk for our baby. You're belly, round and firm, is holding our baby. I don't want you less. I want you just as much."

Jordan kisses her and continues to caress her all over. She runs her hands through his now short brown hair. He moves his hand down between her legs and slips his fingers inside. Slowly moving it in and out, he moves his mouth down to her breasts. He continues to stroke her as he rains kisses down her body, across their baby, making his way to her center. He removes his fingers and starts caressing her with his mouth and tongue.

Angela, holding his head, moves against his mouth. She starts breathing hard and moaning, whispering his name. She pulls her knees up and grabs his shoulders with both hands. She arches her back and moves her hips off the bed. He can tell she's almost there, so he moves up between her legs. Holding himself up, he looks down into her eyes as he slowly enters her.

Staring down into her eyes, he starts to slide in and out. Not wanting to put his weight on her stomach, he leans down and kisses her still holding himself up. She has her hands in his hair, holding him in place as she deepens the kiss. As she lifts her hips to meet his thrusts, he starts to move faster. She lets go of his head and wraps her hands around his arms.

Her head falls back, exposing her neck to him. He starts kissing and sucking on her neck and across her chest, before pulling one of her breast into his mouth and sucking hard. He feels her body tightened around him as she comes apart. His lips move back to hers. Whispering her name, he follows her over the edge.

Careful of her belly, he moves over beside her, pulling her to him. He reaches down and pulls the covers up over them and wraps her in his arms. After a while, he asks her, "Still worried about how you look?"

"Uh, no, not at the moment." Pulling back to look at him, she smiles. "Can we start out everyday like this, except without the crying part?"

"Oh, you liked it, did you? I think that can be arranged." Throwing the covers back, he gets out of bed and pulls his jeans back on, leaving them unbuttoned. "Let's get you downstairs so you can eat."

"Oh my god! Listen to you. If you keep on, you'll have to roll me down the stairs!" Getting up, she pulls his shirt over her head and tries to bend down to retrieve her panties from the floor. "Ugh! See, I can't even bend over!"

"Hey, my son needs to eat. Come on, I like you just the way you are." He grabs her hand and pulls her out of the bedroom, wearing nothing but his shirt.

* * *

><p>Later that afternoon, Jordan is in the garage with the radio on, so Angela decides to sneak up to the guest room next door to their bedroom to clean out the closet. They were planning to fix it up as a nursery, but they hadn't gotten around to it. She starts unstacking boxes and sitting them on the floor by the window. She picks up a box and turns to set it on top of the new stack when it tips out of her hands. She looks on helplessly as photos spill out all over the floor.<p>

Getting down on her knees, she starts gathering them up when she realizes that they were all photos from when they were in high school to when she and Jordan got married. The box had been in the closet since they moved into the house over 9 years ago. She starts to look through them with a smile on her face.

Most of them are of her and all her friends. There are a lot snapshots of her with Rayanne and Ricky, her and Sharon, and some of them all together. There were shots of Jordan's car, the loft, and Residue playing at Vertigo. There were shots of Jordan's graduation, her graduation from summer school. Shots of her pregnant with baby Jay. She laughed to herself thinking about how Brian had taken all of these pictures of them without them even knowing. When he had started dating Dani, he had brought her the box.

There were tons of shots of her and Jordan together, under the bleachers, in the hallway, sitting together in Katimski's. In every picture you can see how much in love they are. They were always touching in some way, holding hands, hugging, kissing. There were a lot of pictures of them kissing. One in particular caught her attention.

In this shot, she was sitting on the back of Jordan's car and he was standing in between her knees with his arms around her. Brian had taken it in the parking lot at school. It looked to have been their Junior year, Jordan was a Senior. Shane and Tino were leaning against the passenger side of the car and Rayanne and Ricky were standing off to the side. Rayanne was looking at them with pure hatred.

Angela was taken aback by the realization of what she saw on Rayanne's face. She starts flipping through more of the pictures and can't believe how many there are of her with Jordan and Rayanne looking on with a similar expression. It saddened her to realize that it was right in front of her the whole time, but she had been so wrapped up in Jordan that she didn't see it.

Curious now, Angela uses the bed and pulls herself up off the floor, leaving the pictures scattered around. She heads downstairs to the den and grabs their wedding album from the shelf. She starts to flip through the pages. Rayanne, who had been her maid of honor, was standing just behind Angela during the ceremony. In every shot, Rayanne was staring straight at Jordan with a look of longing on her face.

In every shot of her and Jordan at the reception, Rayanne was in the background scowling. During their first dance, as they cut the cake, while they were talking to friends and family, all of them were the same. Closing the album, she puts it back on the shelf and goes back upstairs to pick up the pictures. Shoving them all back in the box she closes it, puts in on the stack and goes back to the closet.

As she continues to sort through the closet, she can't stop thinking about Rayanne's expression in all of the photos. She can't believe that she had never noticed it before. She starts thinking back to all the times she would ask Angela about their sex life, about how she always said things about Jordan. It was all starting to make sense.

Angela VO: _What happens when you think you know someone, then one day, you find out it was all a lie? What do you do? Do you just pretend that it doesn't matter to you? And how do you get past it? How do you just set the hurt aside?_

Having lost interest in cleaning out the closet, Angela leaves the room, shutting the door behind her. She's coming down the stairs as Maddie is coming in the front door. All thoughts of Rayanne are forgotten.

"Hey, Mom. How ya' feeling today?" Ever Jordan's daughter, she worries about Angela. She walks over to hug her.

"I'm fine, Mad. Just a little tired. How was school?" Maddie sits her backpack on the bench in the hall, before heading in the kitchen for a snack. Angela follows behind.

"It was cool. I signed up for band. I want to play the drums, since we can't play guitar in the marching band. And I made a 91 on my math test." She starts rummaging in the fridge, deciding on a slice of cheese and a glass of milk.

"That's great, baby. Be sure to tell your dad, he'll be happy." Jordan walks in from the garage with grease on his hands and his shirt. After giving Angela a quick kiss, he goes over to the sink to wash his hands.

"Tell dad what?" He goes to the fridge and gets a slice of cheese and pours himself a glass of milk.

As Maddie starts telling her dad about the marching band and her math test, Angela leans against the counter watching her husband and her daughter, who are just alike. Both eating their cheese and drinking their milk.

Angela VO: _Why should I worry about things I can't change? My life is pretty damn good just the way it is._

**More than likely, I won't update until Monday. Thanks for reading...As always, please review. I hope you all have a great Easter. ~gagirl29**


	17. More of the same

**More of the same**

**A/N: I own nothing...**

"Madison! Hurry up. We're going to be late." Angela, standing in the kitchen with her purse on her arm, yells for Maddie again. "COME ON!"

"Geez, Mom. I'm coming!" Maddie walks into the room with her backpack on her shoulder. Grabbing a muffin off the counter, she follows Angela out to the car. "If Dad were taking me, he wouldn't yell at me like that."

"Well, Maddie, if your dad were home, he could take you. He and your Uncle Shane had to go to New York to meet with their record label. He can take you tomorrow, but you're stuck with me this morning." Backing out of the driveway, they head toward the school.

Maddie reaches over to turn the radio up and tune her mom out. When they pull up in front of the school, she kisses Angela goodbye and jumps out of the car.

Angela VO: _When did she grow up? She's like this little person now. I miss my baby girl. Where has all the time gone?_

Angela, enjoying the morning to herself for a change, heads off to the grocery store. She's missed the simple pleasure of walking the aisles, placing things in the buggy as she goes. Having Jordan underfoot all the time is driving her crazy. He'd been gone for three days and as much as she missed him, she didn't miss the smothering. When she was pregnant with Maddie, he wasn't nearly as bad.

She pushes her cart up to the checkout and waits. Glancing over at the magazines, one of the tabloids catches her eye. She picks it up for a closer look. "What the hell?"

There's a picture of Jordan on the cover. He's leaving a restaurant with a blonde woman. The woman has on sunglasses and a big hat pulled down over her face. The caption reads "_Jordan Catalano stepping out?_"

Trying not to overreact, she throws the magazine on top of her cart and waits as the cashier checks and bags her groceries. Pushing her cart out to the car, her mind is racing. After loading the bags into the trunk, she takes the magazine and sits behind the wheel of the car.

Flipping from page to page, she searches for the article. When she comes upon it, she can only sit and stare. There are more pictures of Jordan and this woman. He's not touching her in any of them, but he's trying to shield her from the photographer. "_Residue front man, Jordan Catalano, seen leaving New York restaurant with a woman other than his pregnant wife. Could this be his new love interest? And where is Mrs. Catalano?"_

In one of the photos, she can see the woman's profile. Not believing what she sees, Angela pulls the page closer to her face. There's no doubt to her who the woman is. "What in the hell is he doing with Rayanne?" Pulling her phone from her purse, she dials Jordan's number. When it goes straight to voicemail, she screams in frustration.

Realizing he may be in a meeting, she sends him a text. "_Call me asap. We need to TALK! ~A." _Dropping her purse on the seat, she starts the car and backs out of the parking spot, heading for home. She's busy carrying the groceries from the car when her phone beeps. "_What's up? Can't talk, in a meeting. Everything ok? ~J." _

"_Just call me when you get out..." _Tossing her phone on the counter, she heads back to the car for the rest of the bags. After putting the groceries away, she takes her phone and the magazine to the den with her. Kicking off her shoes, she sits on the sofa with her feet curled under her and the magazine in her hands.

Flipping to the page with the pictures, she studies each one. Jordan looks angry in all of them. Upon first glance, it looks like he's pissed at the paparazzi. Knowing him as she does, she can tell that he's more than annoyed. He's really angry. She decides to give him a chance to explain before getting herself upset. She throws the magazine onto the coffee table and sits back to wait for his call.

* * *

><p>Jordan is sitting in the conference room at Atlantic Records, staring out the window. Ever since he received Angela's text message 30 minutes ago, his mind had been back in Three Rivers with her. He was only half listening to what his agent was telling the record executives.<p>

He was angry because he and Shane had wasted 3 days in New York. The record label wanted the new album in 6 months, which was no problem. Then they wanted the guys to do the talk show and late night TV circuit, which was also no problem. What he and Shane were having a problem with was that they wanted Residue to start an international tour in 9 months.

That wasn't an option as far as Jordan was concerned. He planned to take the next 3 years off. If the new album didn't sell without a worldwide tour, so be it. He and Shane had talked about it the night before and after talking to Tommy on the phone, they had all agreed. He hadn't bothered to mention it to Angela when they had talked because he didn't want her getting upset. She only had a few weeks left before her due date and this was a delicate time for her.

Sighing loudly, he turned back to Mark, their agent. Interrupting Mark in midsentence, Jordan stands, "Look, Mark, we've given you our stipulation. Work it out. We aren't budging." Shane stands up and they walk to the door. "Call and let us know what you decide."

He opens the door and he and Shane walk out. "Jay, what's up, man? Don't you think we need to be in there?"

"Shane, I'm tired of talking about it. I'm not gonna change my mind, are you?" Taking his phone from his pocket, he looks at it for a minute.

"No, I'm not. I just don't like them deciding without us." Shane can see that Jordan is agitated. "Something else bothering you, Catalano?"

"I got a text from Angela a little while ago. She says we need to talk." Running his hand across his face he looks up at Shane. "We do need to talk. I need to tell her that I met with Rayanne. I gotta tell her what that crazy bitch is threatening to do."

"Is she alright? Nothing's wrong with the baby or anything?" Shane starts to look concerned. "I mean, if it was an emergency she would have said something, right? Do we need to head to the airport now?"

"She really didn't say. I don't think it's the baby. I'm going back to the room and call her." Walking toward the elevator, Jordan calls back to Shane. "If you want, go back in there. I'll meet you back at the hotel." Getting on the elevator, Jordan pushes the button for the ground floor.

Jordan enters the hotel room and throws his jacket across the back of the chair. Going over to the balcony, he slides the door open and steps outside. He's wondering what Angela wants to talk about and he's trying to figure out how to tell her about Rayanne's threats.

Jordan VO: _Why won't that crazy bitch just leave us alone. Now she comes up with this shit? I can't MAKE Angela forgive her. I don't want Angela to forgive her. How am I supposed to make my wife be friends with the woman who claims to be in love with me. Why, so she can be closer to me? Who does this kinda shit? She's going to sell our story to the tabloids? What the fuck? What story? And she's going to tell the whole world that she's pregnant with my baby? Not only is that humanly impossible, it would never ever happen._

Taking his phone out of his pocket, he calls Angela. After the third ring, she answers. "Hey, Ang. What's wrong?" When she doesn't say anything he starts to get worried. "Angela, what's wrong?"

"You tell me, Jordan. Why is there a picture of you and Rayanne on the front page of the tabloids? I go to the grocery store this morning and staring back at me from the checkout stand is a picture of my husband leaving a restaurant with the woman who professes to be in love with him." Taking a deep breath, she continues, "You see, I got mad at first. Then I came home and looked at the pictures more closely. I can tell how pissed off you were, so just tell me what it was about. I trust you and I know you'd never do that to me again. So tell me. Why did you meet with her?"

"FUCK! Are you kidding? It's in the fucking tabloids? GOD DAMN IT!" Kicking the table across the balcony, he turns and walks back into the room, pulling the door closed behind him. "What does it say? What bullshit are they trying to spin now?"

"Well, it implies that you're stepping out on your pregnant wife and that she may be your new love interest. I don't believe that for a minute. But you still haven't told me why you met with her in the first place. Did you call her? Did she call you? What?"

"You aren't going to believe this shit. She called me. I don't know how she knew we were in New York, but she called me on Tuesday morning and said she wanted to talk. She said she wanted me to get you to talk to her. When I told her no, she said if I didn't meet her for dinner, I'd regret it." Throwing his head back and sighing he continues, "When I got to the restaurant, there were no photographers, so now I'm thinking she tipped them off."

Sitting down on the sofa, he lays his head back against the cushions. "She said that she wanted me to convince you to forgive her. She never meant to hurt you and all that bullshit. I laughed at her and told her she was crazy. I don't want her anywhere near you and I told her that. She kept trying to grab my hand while we were at the table and I told her to leave me the fuck alone." Groaning, he asks her, "Red, you do believe me, don't ya'?"

"Jordan, of course I believe you. I know you would never be unfaithful to me. I also know that Rayanne has issues, so I know she's capable of anything when she gets desperate. Finish telling me what happened."

"When she saw that she wasn't going to get me to do what she wanted, she started crying and making a scene. She reached for my hand and I yanked it away, knocking over my water. She looked at me and said very loudly, 'But you said you loved me, Jordan'. I wanted to fucking kill her right there. I got up from the table and started walking out. She caught up to me as I was walking out the door. There were 3 or 4 photographers out there when we got to the sidewalk. I didn't want them taking any photos of us together, but I guess they did. It took me a minute to realize that she had put a hat on and sunglasses." Closing his eyes, he cursed to himself. "She followed me down the sidewalk. I made sure we were away from the photographers before I turned and confronted her."

"So what happened? Did you tell her to leave you alone?" Angela doesn't sound angry, just confused.

"Before I could say anything, she told me that if I didn't get you to forgive her and talk to her again, she was going to tell the tabloids about our affair. I laughed in her face and asked her how she considered a drunken one night stand in high school an affair. She told me that she was talking about now, not high school. She said she was going to tell them about how she spent the weekend at our house and how she and I were secretly sleeping together under your nose." Jordan pauses and laughs to himself. "How does she come up with this shit?"

"Oh my god. Jordan, do you think she would really do that? I mean, is she that fucked up?" Angela doesn't know what to say.

"That's not all, Red. She said that if you won't talk to her, she'll tell everyone that she's pregnant with my baby. Do you think she's really pregnant? Did she think I wouldn't tell you about any of this? This is all so fucked up!" Jumping up from the sofa, he starts to pace.

"I mean, I've had some crazy stalker fans over the years, but I've never had to deal with anything like this before. Are we supposed to ignore her? We can do that. And I'm not worried about the tabloids, they've printed worse about me. I'm worried about you and Maddie. You don't need this shit and I don't want Maddie reading this garbage about me."

"Jordan, I can handle this. And we'll deal with Maddie if she's asks about it. But we can't ignore it. What if she is pregnant? The media will have a field day with it. And besides, they've already got pictures of the two of you together. You have to be careful. Do not meet with her, at all."

Jordan looks over to the door as Shane walks in. He says to Angela, "Look, babe. Don't worry about this shit. I mean it. We'll deal with it, but you can't get upset. Shane just got back, so I gotta go. We're gonna pack up and head to the airport. I'll see you in a few hours, ok? I love you."

"Love you, too. See you soon."

"Hey, Jay, is everything ok? Did you tell her? She didn't get too upset, did she?" Shane worries about Angela just as much as Jordan does. He can't help but feel protective of Jordan's family, because they're like his family, too.

Laughing out loud, Jordan shakes his head. "Damn, Shane. She already knew something was up. There are pictures of me and Rayanne leaving the restaurant the other night plastered on the front of the tabloids. I told her everything and she didn't seem too upset. I think with Rayanne's crazy ass, she's come to expect it. This is all too fucking weird!"

"Well, I don't want anything to do with that crazy bitch ever again. I don't know what the hell I was thinking, getting mixed up with that shit. She's out there, man. I'm just sorry everything had to come out like it did. I tried my best to keep that shit from you and Angela." Shane looked right at Jordan. "Man, I mean, I always thought Graff had a thing for you, even back in high school, but I never thought she'd still feel that way. I wonder if she's snorting again. That shit makes you do crazy stuff."

"I don't get it, Shane, I just don't. Why can't she just leave me and Angela alone? We aren't kids anymore. It was all such a long time ago. Why can't she just fucking let it go? Why after all this time? How can someone pretend for so long?" Jordan walks over and picks his suitcase up off the floor. "I just want to pretend like I never met that chic!" He starts shoving his clothes in. "Hey, what happened after I left?"

"They said they'd think about it. Jay, I don't want to go out again. We all need a break." Shane starts packing up his suitcase, as well. Once everything's packed, they both slip into their jackets and head for the door.

**A/N 2: Can you tell that I never liked Rayanne? Did I make her too crazy? Hope you enjoy... **


	18. All in good time

**All in good time**

**A/N: I own nothing...except my imagination.**

"Yes, Mom, I've seen it. Yes, I've talked to Jordan about it. Of course not! This is all a part of one of her crazy schemes. I don't know. Yes, you did tell me she was unstable. I know, I know. I should listen to my mother because she knows what she's talking about. Look, Mom, I've gotta go. I'll call you later. Yes, if I go into labor, you will be the first person Jordan calls. Bye, Mom." Angela shakes her head as she hits the end button on her phone.

Jordan, who is sitting with her on the sofa, laughs. "So I take it your mom saw the magazine at the grocery store?"

"Yes. And Dani saw it and so did Camille Cherski. God, I wish they would leave me alone!" Angela is sitting with her legs across Jordan's lap. "Sharon called me last night and Ricky called me this morning. They all want to know how I'm taking it and if I talked to you about it."

Rubbing her calves, Jordan chuckles. "Well, babe, they all care about you. It did look kinda suspicious, you know? I'm glad you know better, though." He reaches up to tuck her hair behind her ear. "You have nothing to worry about, ever. I've got everything I want right here." He leans over and kisses her gently.

"I know, Jordan. I'm not worried. I know you find my enormous baby bump completely irresistible." Caressing his cheek, she smiles at him. "I don't know how you'll feel about me in a month when it's gone."

"Angela, don't even play! I'll still feel the same about you then as I do now. I love you, girl. Nothing will ever change that. Don't you know you're my everything? You made me who I am. I'll spend the rest of our lives showing you what you mean to me." Smiling back at her, he rubs his hands over her belly. "And your baby bump is irresistible. After our son is born, how long do you want to wait for us to try again?"

"Oh, hell no. You did not just say that! I think a son and a daughter means that we're done with babies. You'll have one of each, so you'll just have to live with it. Unless they find a way for you to carry the baby, then we'll talk about it." Grinning, she crawls all the way into his lap. "We can have lots of fun practicing, though."

Holding her close, they laugh together. Whispering in her ear, he says, "Speaking of practice, what's say we go upstairs and get a little in? It's still safe, right?" Kissing his way around her neck and across her jaw, he hears her moan.

"Ummmm, Jordan. Maddie will be here in a little while. How bout we just sit right here and make out? I miss that." She holds her head back and lets him suck on her neck just below her ear. "That feels so good. Remember all the hours we spent in your car making out? You could make me so hot just by touching my neck."

"Oh, I remember. I remember it all." He starts to unbutton her shirt, kissing across her collarbone. As he's about to push it from her shoulders, the doorbell rings. "And just like old times, I get left with a major hard on."

She just laughs and pulls her shirt together. She gets up from the sofa as she buttons her shirt. Waddling to the door, she pulls it open. Not bothering to hide her surprise or contempt, she starts in on the person at the door.

"What the fuck are you doing here? Haven't you started enough crap, Rayanne? And you have to nerve to show up here? You need to leave!" She tries to shut the door on her, but Rayanne pushes it open.

"Angela, you're going to listen to me. You can't ignore me forever." Rayanne stumbles a little as she comes through the door. "Did lover boy tell you about our meeting?"

Jordan walks up behind Angela. "Of course I told her. Did you think I'd keep it from her? I tell her everything." He walks over to shut the door before moving to stand between Angela and Rayanne.

"Did ya' tell her about our little problem? Did you tell her about the bun in my oven?" Slurring her speech, she continues, "Did ya' tell her about how we got it on right here in this house?"

"Rayanne, you make me sick. You've been drinking, haven't you?" Shaking her head in pity, Angela moves to stand beside Jordan. "I know you and Jordan didn't get it on here in my house. And if you are pregnant, which I highly doubt you are, then you shouldn't be drinking."

"You don't believe me, Angelica? Have you seen the papers? They're all saying that me and lover boy here have been getting it on for years. Guess he didn't tell you everything." She takes a step forward and stumbles.

"God, Rayanne, you sold a bunch of lies to the tabloids for nothing. What were you trying to prove? How the hell do you blackmail someone like that? For what? Because I wouldn't talk to you? And why should I forgive you? So you can secretly covet what I have? So you can worship Jordan from afar? I just don't get it." Laughing in Rayanne's face, Angela puts her hands on her belly. "Face it, Rayanne. Jordan doesn't want you. He's never wanted you. You were just a poor substitute for me."

Angela turns to Jordan, with a smirk on her face. "Jordan, why don't you show her out, I'm tired of her bad acting."

Rayanne rushes toward Angela and pushes her. "Shut up, Angela. You think you've got everything, doncha? Little Miss Perfect, Angela. You're such a little whiny bitch. I don't see what he sees in you anyway."

"Rayanne, don't fucking touch her!" Jordan steps between them again. "Why are you doing this? What the hell do you want from us? Why don't you just get the hell out of here and leave us alone?"

"Raynie, why? Just tell me why you're doing all this? What are you getting out of it? It's not like you're gonna split us up. He isn't going to leave me. There's nothing you can do to change that. All you're doing is making yourself look stupid." Angela puts her arm through Jordan's. "How can you say you want to be my friend, yet you're lying to the press about Jordan? Until you came to stay with us this summer, we hadn't even seen you in years. Now all of a sudden, we can't get rid of you."

"Don't you see, Angelica. I stayed away because I couldn't stand to see you together. Then I came to Casa de Catalano and saw how things were. I tried to be happy for you. I was content to sit back and watch him like I used to, only you told me to get the fuck out of here. It drove me crazy." Laughing wildly, Rayanne rushes on. "You don't tell an addict that they can't have something. It just makes them want it more."

"Rayanne, if you leave now, I'll try to move past this. I'll try to let it go. I can see that you've been drinking again and I know that you aren't yourself right now. I can see that you're hurting, but we didn't do anything to you. You aren't the victim here. You can't just go around lying about people because they hurt your feelings." Angela reaches out to Rayanne, only to have her hand slapped away. "I want you to get out of here. Maybe when you sober up, we can talk."

"Awww, Angelica. I don't wanna wait til I'm sober. I wanna tell you how I feel right now." Giggling, she reaches over and pinches Angela's cheek. "See, little Angel, from the minute I started hanging out with you, I was jealous of you. You had everything. You had the perfect family. Patty and Graham and little Danielle. They love you. You can always depend on them.

Then you started mooning of Jordan Catalano. Nevermind that I was in love with him, that's all you talked about. I figured what the hell could it hurt, so I started trying to push you together because I thought he wouldn't look twice at you. If I just let you see what a bad boy he was, you'd get over him. Boy, was I wrong? You guys were like magnets, you couldn't stay apart. Then I thought I had my chance. So I took my chance."

Frowning, Rayanne turned away. "What happened? He wouldn't even look at me. He was so fucking caught up in you. It didn't matter that I gave him what he wanted. He went chasing after you, begging for forgiveness. Ya'll were inseparable, joined at the hip. Then he told you to forgive me and you did. I thought I could do it. I followed around behind you like a sick little puppy because I wanted any little part of him that I could get. I thought eventually, he would get tired of you. Guess the joke was on me, huh?" Sniffling, she turns back to them.

"I really don't need to go on and on about the happily ever after, do I? I guess I was trying to get back at you for hurting me. I do love you, Angelica. I do. I am jealous, I won't lie. I'm trying to get him out of my head. I don't know why I do stupid shit like I do. I'm messed up." Sobbing now, she reaches for Angela and she pulls Rayanne into her arms. "I need help, Angela. I have been drinking again. I've been using again, too."

Jordan looks on as Angela holds Rayanne while she cries. "Rayanne, you need to go to rehab. It's the only thing that's going to help you now. We'll stand by you. Angela and I will be here for you. But you can't keep doing this to us. We've done nothing to deserve what you've put us through. For Christ's sake, she's supposed to be your best friend!" Rayanne pulls away from Angela and looks at Jordan.

"I know, Jay. I'm sorry, I really am. I want my family back. I can't even pick up the phone and talk to her anymore. And Ricky and Simon kicked me out when they found out what I did. Just tell me what to do and I'll do it." She takes a step toward Jordan.

Jordan looks at Angela and after she nods, he wraps Rayanne in his arms. "Rayanne, it's going to be ok. I'm gonna make some calls. You don't need to wait." He lets her go and looks her in the eye. "I'm gonna do this for you, but first you have to promise to do something for me. You're going to call the reporter you talked to and you're going to tell them you made everything up. Will you do that for us?"

She nods her head and turns to look at Angela. "I will. I will do it right now if you want me to." Wiping her face on her sleeve, she walks back to Angela. "God, I'm sorry, Ang. I'm just so fucked up right now. I'll do whatever it takes to make this up to you."

Hugging her again, Angela kisses her on the cheek. "Raynie, after you get the help you need, then you can come back and we'll sit down and talk. The three of us will talk and get all of this sorted out."

Jordan sits down on the bottom step and pulls out his phone. After making a few calls he turns back to the girls. "Rayanne, I've called you a cab. It's going to take you directly to a treatment center in Pittsburgh. When you get there, the papers will be waiting for you to sign yourself in. You have to see this through. You can't check yourself out for the hell of it." He walks over and pulls Angela into his arms. "Rayanne, do this for us, but most of all, do it for yourself."

After a few minutes, they hear a horn blow outside. Jordan walks over to the door and pulls it open. There's a cab sitting at the curb.

Angela takes Rayanne's hand and walks her out the door as Jordan goes to her car to get her purse. Angela kisses her cheek and waits for her to get in the cab before handing her the purse and shutting the door.

Jordan puts his arms around Angela and they watch together as the cab drives off.

**A/N 2: I know this is another short chapter, but I wanted to get it posted...stay tuned!**


	19. The reason why

**The reason why**

**A/N: I own nothing...**

_March 1996_

Angela was pissed. After being on her feet, waiting tables all day, she was ready to relax and enjoy her Saturday night. She would be enjoying it, if Jordan had actually showed up to get her. He was supposed to pick her up from the restaurant after band practice. After waiting almost an hour for him, she decides to walk to the loft, only a few miles away.

Angela VO: _Where the hell is he? He should have been here a while ago. Doesn't he know how to use a damn phone? I'm gonna kill him. I bet he's been drinking. I really wish he would stop._

Angela walks the stairs to the loft. She can here laughter coming from inside. She pulls the door open and walks in. As she looks around she sees Shane sitting on the sofa with some chic she doesn't know. Tino and Rayanne are together in the hammock, Rayanne drinking from her flask and Tino holding a beer. Tommy and Joey are playing basket ball with the trash can and a wad of paper. She finally spots Jordan sitting in a chair across the room. He has a beer bottle in his hand.

She greets everyone, before making her way over to Jordan. "Hey, where were you?" He reaches for her hand and tries to pull her into his lap.

"Hey, babe. Come see me. I missed you today."

She pulls away from him. "Jordan, why didn't you pick me up?"

"Damn, I forgot. And I had a few beers. You know I don't drive when I've had a few." He sits his beer on the floor and tries to pull her in his lap again.

"Jordan, I waited on you for like an hour. I walked all the way here from the restaurant." She steps back from him. "What, you couldn't call?"

"Geez, Angela. Am I your fucking driver? What's the big deal, huh? You're here now, aren't you? Come sit with me." He slides over in the chair to make room for her, picking his beer up and taking a drink.

"No, I don't wanna sit with you. I thought we could hang out tonight, just me and you." She crosses her arms and frowns down at him.

Rolling his eyes, he says to her, "Well, why can't we just hang out here tonight? I don't feel like going anywhere. I'm hanging out with my friends right now."

"Yeah, Angela, let him off his leash so he can play with the boys," Shane butts in, laughing. Jordan and the other guys laugh with him. "Just chill. Catalano doesn't have to be stuck up your ass all the time."

"Shut up, Shane. I don't remember asking for your input." Angela, tired and pissed off, takes Jordan's hand and tries to pull him from the chair. "Jordan, lets leave."

"No, I'm not going anywhere. He's right, just chill. C'mon, babe, stop being so pissy." He takes another drink of his beer and lays his head back, closing his eyes.

Angela looks down at him and takes a deep breath. This has become a regular thing for him. After practice, the guys will sit around drinking. If she's there, she usually drives them back to her house and fixes him coffee, before sending him home. If she's not, she assumes that he crashes at the loft. He really doesn't like to drive his precious car if he's been drinking.

At first, she didn't mind him having a few beers. She understands how hard things have been for him. He and his dad have been arguing nonstop for the past few weeks because he wants Jordan to pay rent for staying in his house. He's been at Jordan since he turned 18 last summer, but Jordan had convinced him to let him stay until graduation. Working part time at the garage is just enough for him to pay for gas and his car insurance and have a little money to put back for LA. After graduation, he and the guys were planning to head to LA so they would have a better chance of being recognized. Then he wouldn't have to worry about his dad anymore.

Now days, he was drinking a lot more. After he's had a few, he starts to get cocky and shows out in front of his friends. He turns into a regular smart ass with her and she's getting a little tired of it. Not liking this side of him, she wants to get him out of there. This was the first time he actually forgot to come pick her up and he'd never turned down the chance to be alone with her.

After a few minutes of watching him sit with his eyes closed, she reaches down and touches his arm. "Jordan, come on, let's go somewhere."

Opening his eyes, he says, "Angela, I said no. I don't want to go anywhere. I want to hang here for a little while."

Rayanne speaks up, "Hey, Angelica, pull up a chair. You can hang out with us. I know these guys are a bunch of retards, but their company ain't so bad."

"I really don't feel like it, Rayanne. I've had a long day and I just wanna get out of here. No offense to you guys." She turns back to Jordan. "Are you coming with me or not?"

When he shakes his head no, finishing his beer, she's had enough. "Fine. You hang here. I'll walk home." She turns to leave, and he grabs her hand.

"What, are you gonna pout now? I didn't let you have your way, so you're gonna leave?" He gets up from the chair to stand beside her. "It can't always be about what you want."

"I'm not pouting. I'm just tired and I wanted to be with you, but whatever. Have fun with your boys." She walks toward the door and he follows.

"Oh, grow up, Angela. You act like such a fucking baby when you don't get your way. What's the big deal?" He sighs and pushes his hand through his hair. "I'm with you all the time. I just wanted to chill for a minute. Sorry I ruined your plans."

"You know what, I'm getting tired of how you treat me in front of your friends when you've been drinking anyway. I don't want to sit here and listen to your smart ass mouth tonight. I've had a long day. I'm going home. Either you stay here and get drunk, or you can go with me and we can be alone." Opening the door, she walks out and starts down the steps with him following behind.

When they get to the bottom, he tries to pull her into his arms. "Babe, don't be like this."

As he tries to kiss her, she pulls away. "Jordan, I want you to stop drinking. I don't like how you are when you've been drinking. You're being an ass."

Letting his arms drop to the side, Jordan says to her, "Angela, you aren't my fucking mother. I can do whatever the fuck I want." Turning away from her, he continues. "How are you gonna tell me to stop drinking? I'm not doing anything wrong. I stay at the loft, I don't drink and drive and I don't bother anyone. I'm a big boy. I don't need you telling me what to do."

More hurt than angry now, she goes to him. "Jordan, I just meant that I miss how you used to be. You drink all the time now. I don't like it."

"Whatever, Angela. Just go home. If you don't like me like this, then you don't have to be around me. I thought you understood, but I guess you don't." He turns and heads back up the stairs.

She knows that she's pissed him off now. Not wanting to leave things this way, she calls out to him. "Jordan, wait. Are you gonna come by tomorrow?"

He yells down to her from the top of the steps. "Why the fuck should I even bother? Maybe we just need some time apart or whatever so you can decide if you still like me."

Crying now, she says to him, "Jordan, that's not what I meant. I just think you should slow down a little. I don't want some time apart."

"Well, since you don't like me, we don't need to be together, do we? Go home. I'm going back inside to be with the people who still like me." He opens the door and walks back inside, leaving her crying on the sidewalk.

* * *

><p>Sunday morning, Jordan wakes up in the chair at the loft with a major headache. His arm is asleep because of how he slept on it. It's not the first time he's woken up at the loft. He seems to be waking up there on a regular basis lately.<p>

He gets up from the chair, stretching. He starts to gather his things so he can head home and take a shower before going to pick Angela up, hoping that his old man has already left. He and Angela had made plans to take a drive out to the lake, just to hang out. They haven't been able to spend a whole day together in a long time because either one or the other was always working on the weekend.

As he's walking down the stairs, he starts to remember bits and pieces of the night before. He remembers practice and then someone pulling out the beer. He remembers Tino and Graff showing up. And then he remembers when Angela came in.

Jordan VO: _Oh fuck! What did I do? Did I seriously tell her that I thought we needed some time apart? God fucking damn it! Why do I do shit like that? Why do I say shit I don't mean? She was right, I do need to stop drinking so much. Did I fuck everything up again?_

Nearing panic, he gets in his car and heads straight to her house. He pulls to a stop at the curb, shutting the engine off and throwing the door open. Running up the steps, he knocks on the door. As he waits, he runs his hands through his hair, trying to remove the tangles.

Angela opens the door. He can see that she'd been crying. She just stands there with her arms crossed looking at him.

He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath before speaking to her. "Angela, can I come in?"

"No, Jordan, you can't." She doesn't budge. "I don't want my parents to see you like this."

"Well, will you at least come out here for a minute?" She steps out onto the porch and pulls the door closed behind her. At least she didn't slam the door in his face. "Look, Ang, I'm really sorry about last night. I was a total ass to you. You don't deserve that from me."

Not wanting her to see how scared he is, he sits down on the top step and puts his head in his hands. "I shouldn't treat you that way. I don't really remember everything I said, but I know I didn't mean it."

Sitting beside him on the steps, she turns to look at him. "Jordan, you told me that you thought we should spend some time apart. Did you mean that?"

"Fuck no, I didn't mean that! I don't want to be apart from you." He shifts closer to her and takes her hand. "Angela, just the thought of us not being together scares the shit outta me." Laying his head against hers, he closes his eyes. "Babe, I love you. I'm sorry for whatever I said to hurt you. I was kinda lit. I can't even remember how many I had."

"Jordan, look at me." She takes his chin in her hand and turns him to face her. She looks him straight in his bloodshot eyes. "I want you to stop drinking, I mean really stop. I won't go through another night like last night. You were nasty to me. Do you know that you didn't even come to pick me up? I waited on you for almost an hour before I walked to the loft."

"Fuck. I don't even remember. I'm sorry, Ang. I just wanted to relax a little. I didn't intend to get drunk." Lowering his head in his hands again, he whispers to her. "Red, I'll do whatever you want me to. I'm sorry I keep fucking this up."

"What I want is for you to tell me that you'll stop drinking. I won't go through this with you. If you want to be with me, you stop now." Putting her arms around him, she pulls him against her. "I know you were drunk last night. I can forget about all of it, if you promise you won't do it again."

He lays his head against her chest and wraps his arms around her. "God, Red, I was so fucking scared that I messed this up again. I drove over here in a panic, trying to remember what I said or did. I remember yelling at you and telling you we need some time apart." Squeezing her tight, he goes on. "I didn't mean it. I swear I don't know why I said it. It had to be the alcohol talking."

They sit there on the steps with their arms around each other. She's running her fingers through his hair, holding him against her. "That's what I mean, Jordan. Alcohol makes you do things you wouldn't normally do. As much as I hate to bring it up, you would have never slept with Rayanne if you hadn't been drinking. I know you wouldn't have been so nasty to me, if it hadn't been for the alcohol. You've got to stop now. Don't let yourself become an alcoholic. Don't turn in to your dad."

He can feel the tears forming in his eyes and he tries to hold them back. He doesn't want her to see him cry, so he keeps his head down. He can't keep his voice from shaking. "I will not turn into my dad. I'll stop, now, today." Using the back of his hand to wipe his eyes, he turns his face into her. "I'm so sorry, babe. Please don't be mad at me."

"I'm not mad, Jordan. It hurt my feelings, but I knew you didn't mean it. I knew once you sobered up, you'd regret it. It's ok." She turns his face up to hers. "I love you, Jordan. No matter what."

Not caring about the tears on his face anymore, he leans in to kiss her. He finally starts to let himself believe everything will be ok. He didn't ruin things after all. Pulling back a little, he uses his shirt to wipe his face. "God, Angela. I'm terrified that one day you're gonna wake up and decide you don't want to be with me anymore. I don't think I could live without you. Why do you keep putting up with my shit?"

"Because I don't think I could live without _you. _ When you love someone you don't bail out when things get tough. I'm not going anywhere." She pulls his head down and kisses tears away, before kissing him on the lips.

"Red, what did I ever do to deserve you?"

Getting up from the steps, Angela pulls him up with her. She wraps her arms around his waist for a hug. "The way I see it, we both got lucky." With a quick kiss, she pushes him down the steps. "Now go home and shower so you can get your ass back over here to pick me up."

Smiling for the first time all morning, Jordan walks backward down the front walk. "I'll be back in an hour, so be ready. Grab a blanket and I'll bring lunch. I love you, babe."

Smiling back at him, she blows him a kiss. "Yeah, I know you do." She stands on the porch watching him drive away.

**I feel like I'm updating too soon, or something...Should I make the chapters longer instead of posting one everyday? Thanks to all of you who keep reading and thanks for the reviews. I hope you're enjoying my story...there are a lot more of you reading than are reviewing, so I guess it's not that bad. =)**


	20. When it's time

**When it's time**

**A/N: I own nothing...**

On the morning of November 11, Angela rolls over to look at the clock. She's wide awake at 3 o'clock in the morning. She pushes herself up from the bed, trying not to wake Jordan. Padding softly to the bathroom, she shuts the door before turning on the light. She takes 2 steps toward the toilet when she feels wetness running down the inside of her legs.

Angela VO: _Well, I guess our little boy will be making his appearance today. Hmmm, no wonder my back was hurting yesterday. I hope I remembered to pack everything I need. Did Jordan put the bag in the car? I wonder if I have time to take a shower?_

Very calmly, she goes over to the closet and takes out a few towels. She throws one on the floor to clean up her mess, moving it around with her foot. She hangs the other towel on the bar beside the shower. Turning the shower on, she pins her hair up and then steps under the spray. She washes her face and starts to soap her body when the first contraction hits. I doesn't last long, but it's very painful. After riding it out, she rinses off and steps from the shower.

She dries off and pulls her robe from the back of the door, wrapping it around her. After brushing her teeth and hair, she walks to toward the door when she's hit with the next contraction. Guessing that her contractions are about 7 or 8 minutes apart, she knows she still has time. She opens the door and walks around to Jordan's side of the bed.

Sitting down beside him, she watches him sleep for a minute. Reaching over to caress his cheek, she softly calls his name. He slowly opens his eyes. "Jordan, you've got to get up."

Looking toward the window and seeing that it's still dark out, he looks back to her in confusion. "What time is it? It's not even daylight, come back to bed."

Chuckling, she shakes her head. "Can't do that. You need to get up. You've got to get dressed." She gets up from the bed and walks to the closet, looking for something to wear. She pulls out a pair of Jordan's old sweats and starts to get dressed herself.

Jordan, who is now sitting on the bed, is looking at her like she's crazy. "Angela, what are you doing? You do know it's 3:30 in the morning, right?"

After pulling the shirt over her head, she turns back to him just as another contraction hits. When she straightens and opens her eyes, she looks at Jordan. He's as white as the sheet covering his body. She watches as realization sinks in. He jumps up from the bed heads for the closet, pulling his clothes on in a hurry.

"Shit, Angela. Why didn't you tell me? How long have you been up? Are you feeling ok?" He shoves his wallet and phone in his pocket and pulls his sneakers on. Grabbing for her hand, he starts to pull her toward the door.

"Jordan, stop." She has to say his name twice more to get his attention. They stop just outside Maddie's door. "Hey, we've got some time. I need for you to call mom and have her come to stay with Maddie. She shouldn't have to get up in the middle of the night. Mom can bring her to the hospital in a little while." She smiles up at him. "I need you to stay calm."

Taking a deep breath, Jordan pulls her into his arms. Hugging her tight, he buries his face in her hair. After a minute, he pulls back to look at her. "How am I supposed to stay calm in a time like this? You're in labor! I need to get you to the hospital."

"We're going to the hospital, but first, you need to call Mom. We can't leave Mad by herself. I have to get some shoes on and make sure the bag is in the car. When Mom gets here we'll leave, ok?" Kissing him, she turns and heads back into their bedroom to slip on her shoes.

When she gets downstairs, he's holding her bag and keys. "Patty's on her way. She should be here in a minute. I wish she would hurry."

They hear Patty pull in the driveway and he grabs her hand, pulling her out the door.

* * *

><p>Angela was asleep when Jordan returned to her room that evening. He'd ran home to take a shower and get something to eat. Having been with her through all 12 hours of labor, he knew she had to be exhausted. Not wanting to wake her, he moves over to stand beside his son's crib. Reaching down, he gently runs his finger across his soft little cheek, blinking back happy tears. Justin Chase Catalano had been born just after 4 p.m., that afternoon.<p>

For the third time, he had stood beside her hospital bed, holding Angela's hand as she gave birth to their child. He can't help but remember the first time. He looks down at his tiny son and thinks about his other son, their first child. It doesn't hurt as much these days when he thinks of Jay, but there's still an ache that he'll never be able to get rid of. It was so long ago. So much has changed in his life since then. He can't help but feel blessed.

Not able to resist it any longer, he picks Justin up and cradles him to his chest. He's so small and fragile. He's content to stand there with the baby wrapped in his arms. Justin sleeps on, cuddled to Jordan's chest. He leans down to kiss his cheek.

Hearing footsteps approaching outside the room, he turns to the door. Meeting the eyes of his father, he smiles. "Hey, Dad. Come meet your grandson."

Tony hesitantly approaches Jordan, holding baby Justin. "Hey, Son. I don't want to bother Angela, I just wanted to stop in and see the baby. And I wanted to see if you need anything."

Sensing Tony's uneasiness, Jordan walks to stand beside his dad. "Angela's just resting. She won't mind that you stopped in. I'm sure it will make her happy." He turns the baby so Tony can get a look at him, pulling the blanket away from his face.

Looking over at his dad's face, Jordan can see tears start to form in his eyes. "Jordan, son, I'm so happy for you and for Angela. He's beautiful." Blinking rapidly, Tony clears his throat and touches Jordan's arm. "Jay, I'm so proud of you. You are such a wonderful father, in spite of what I put you through. You've become a fine young man."

"Thanks, Dad." Feeling a little uncomfortable, not knowing what to say, Jordan just looks down at the baby. "I'm glad you came by."

"He looks just like you did when you were born." Tony reaches over and touches Justin's hand. "He has your eyes and chin."

"You think so? I kinda think he looks like Angela, but then Maddie looked like Angela when she was born. Now she looks just like me." Jordan grins from ear to ear. "Either way, you have two beautiful grandchildren."

Neither of the men notice when Angela wakes up. She lays there happily watching Jordan with his father and his son. Realizing what a rare moment this is, she doesn't want to ruin it. It took so long for the two of them to even talk to each other. She's glad that she was able to help Jordan make peace with his father.

After a while of them talking, she speaks up. "Hey, can you bring my son to me. I wanna hold him for a little while."

Jordan and Tony both turn to Angela. "Hey, babe. Did we wake you? He's sleeping, so I was gonna let you sleep for a bit." Jordan walks over and places Justin in her arms, before sitting down beside her on the bed. "Dad's only been here a few minutes."

Tony walks over and kisses Angela on the cheek. "Hey, honey. I just wanted to check on you guys, see if I could do anything for you." Shifting from one foot to the other, he asks, "Is everything ok? No problems?"

Smiling at her father in law, Angela takes his hand. "Tony, we're fine. All of us are healthy and happy. I'm so glad you stopped in. It means a lot to both Jordan and me." Jordan slides his arm around her and she settles back against him, with their son cradled to her. "When we go home, I want you to stop in at the house. We'll probably have Mom, Dad and Hallie over. You know, just a family thing. It would be nice if you could come."

Smiling back at Jordan and Angela, he says, "I wouldn't miss it."

After visiting for a few more minutes, Tony says his goodbyes, promising to come by the house. Jordan leans back on the bed, holding Angela and Justin to him. Resting his chin on her shoulder, he looks down at their son. "Thank you for giving me such a precious gift, Red. I just can't stop looking at him."

Turning her face to his, they share a tender kiss. "Well, I didn't do it on my own. I think you had a part in it. He is precious, isn't he?"

As they continue to watch baby Justin sleep, Patty and Maddie walk through the door. Rushing over to the bed, Maddie kisses her mom and holds her arms out for the baby. "Let me have him. Isn't he so cute?" She takes the baby, cuddling him.

Patty walks over to hug Angela. "Hey, Honey. How're you feeling? Everything ok?"

Knowing what her mom really means, Angela gives her the answers she's looking for. "I feel fine, Mom. The doctor said everything was normal. Justin passed all the tests and he's healthy. There were no complications."

"We've all be so worried. It's such a relief knowing that everything is fine. Danielle called. She wants to know if she and Brian can come down this weekend. I told her you would call her later, when you feel up to it." Patty leans over to hug Jordan. "How are you doing, Dad? You didn't faint or anything, did you?"

"Uh, no. I didn't faint or anything. I think I started to panic this morning when she woke me up, but I was ok once we got to the hospital. Your daughter was a champ through it all. She was just as calm as could be, until she started to push." Hugging her close, he grins. "I'd rather forget some of the things she said to me."

Maddie, holding Justin in her arms, sits down in the chair beside the bed. "Look at all this hair, Mom. Do you think it's going to be light like mine and yours? Or do you think it will be dark like Dad's? Does he have all his fingers and toes? Kaylee's little cousin had 6 toes on one foot. Can I think of a nickname for him? Can I wake him up?"

Not knowing what to answer first, Angela laughs. Jordan says to her, "No, you can't wake him up. Let him sleep. He's gonna be up off and on all night anyway."

Patty takes Justin from Maddie and sits in the other chair with him, touching his face and his hands. Rubbing her hand over his hair. Jordan can already see how this little boy is going to be spoiled. Everyone is already fawning over him.

Angela yawns, laying her head back against Jordan's chest. Patty, seeing how tired both Angela and Jordan are, lays Justin back in his crib, kissing him on the head and tucking the blanket around him.

"Maddie, tell your mom and dad goodnight. They're both really tired and we should let them rest. I'll bring you by tomorrow after school." Patty walks back to the bed and hugs Angela and Jordan at the same time, kissing them both on the cheek. "I'm so proud of you both. He's beautiful."

Maddie crawls on to the bed and wraps first her mom, then her dad in a hug. "I love you guys. I'll see you tomorrow." Maddie and Patty leave.

Jordan continues to lay on the bed with Angela in his arms. Feeling himself start to doze off, he starts to get up from the bed. Angela puts her arm out to stop him. "Where are you going?"

He yawns and rubs his eyes. "I'm gonna stretch out in the chair over here. I think it lets out into a cot."

"You don't have to get up. I want you right here beside me. You can sleep right here." She slides over to make room for him.

"I can't sleep in the bed with you. You won't be comfortable. You need to get some rest because your son will wake up hungry in a little bit." He yawns again and stands up.

She grabs his hand and pulls the covers back. "Jordan, get in this bed. I'll be fine. I just want you to hold me for a little while. When he wakes up, you can move to the chair if you want."

Jordan kicks off his shoes and climbs under the covers with her. They both stretch out and get comfortable, wrapped in each others arms. Just as they're about to give in to sleep, their son lets out a cry.

Chuckling, Jordan happily gets up from the bed. Picking his son up, he takes him to Angela. Settling back on the bed behind her, he pulls her back into his arms and watches her nurse his son. Kissing Angela on the head, Jordan falls asleep with a smile of content on his face.


	21. Sleepless nights

**Sleepless nights**

**A/N: I own nothing...**

The Saturday morning after Thanksgiving, Jordan pulls up outside Shane's Pittsburgh home. Having stopped to get coffee and doughnuts, he grabs the box and paper tray and heads for the door. Before he gets there, Shane opens the door and steps aside to let him in.

"Damn, Jay, when was the last time you slept? You look like shit." Shane takes the box from him and they head into the kitchen. Sitting at the counter, Jordan hands Shane his coffee. Shane, opening the box of doughnuts, takes one and sets it on the counter in front of them.

Jordan, eyes bloodshot with a 3 day old beard, yawns. "Shane, I haven't slept since we brought Justin home. It seems like every time I close my eyes, he starts crying. I forgot how much work it is taking care of a newborn." Scratching his chin, he takes a bite of his doughnut. "Man, I don't see how women do it. Angela kicked me out of the house this morning. She says I'm getting in her way and she told me I was getting on her nerves. I'm only trying to help, you know?"

"Maybe she's trying to give you a little break. You do look like you need one." Shane gets up to get a napkin. "How's he doing? Everything check out when you guys took him to the doctor yesterday?"

"Yeah, they say he's a normal, healthy 2 week old baby. All he does is eat, sleep and cry." Rubbing his eyes, Jordan takes a sip of his coffee. "Not being able to sleep has given me plenty of time to write, though. I've got my laptop in the car. I meant to bring it in , but I forgot to grab it."

"You can get it later." Taking a sip of his coffee, Shane asks, "Have you heard from Mark? I think they're finally getting the point."

"Yeah, I talked to him on Tuesday. They can make all the demands they want. I'm not giving in." Jordan yawns again, leaning back on his stool.

"If we start recording next week, we should be able to get the album out by April, but I'm not going back out on tour. Angela needs you at home. Tommy and Deborah seem to be getting serious, too. We all need this break." Looking at Jordan,who's about to fall asleep where he sits, he shakes his head. "Go crash in the guest room, Jay. I'll wake you up in a couple hours."

Not arguing, Jordan makes his way up the stairs and into the guest room before crashing on the bed on top of the covers.

* * *

><p>Back in Three Rivers, Angela lays Justin down in his crib, tucking the blanket around him. She tiptoes out the door and pulls it closed behind her. Making her way downstairs, she calls to Danielle and Brian who are in the den. "Hey, you guys want something to eat? I can fix us some lunch."<p>

"Angela, you gave birth 2 weeks ago, you will not fix me lunch." Danielle and Brian follow her into the kitchen. "Why don't you sit down and let me fix you something?"

"It's no problem, really. I'm tired of sitting around and watching everyone else work. Jordan has let me do absolutely nothing since we got home from the hospital. I sent him to Shane's this morning so I could breathe. I feel like he's smothering me." She walks over to the fridge and starts pulling out leftovers. "Dad brings food by here every morning. We have plenty."

"Angela, you sent him away? How did that go? 'Jordan, you're getting on my nerves because you're taking very good care of me and our family.' Or was it, 'Jordan, stop letting me rest and go away'?" Brian looks at her like she's crazy. "Obviously, he's only trying to be here for you. I can't believe you sent him away."

"Oh, shut up, Krakow. He's been letting me rest, but he hasn't gotten any sleep. As soon as he hears Justin whimper, he runs to him. He changes his diaper. He brings him to me when it's time for him to eat, but then he takes him from me and burps him. He bathes him, he sits and rocks him at night. I just want to have some part of it." Angela puts a plate of pasta in front of both of them. "He looks like hell. He needed a break. I called Shane and he told me to send him over."

Grabbing her own plate, she sits at the end of the bar. "Shane called me a few minutes ago. Jordan has been sound asleep in the guest room since about 5 minutes after he got there. I knew he needed to get away for a while."

"Brian, take notes. When we have kids, I want you to do the same thing Jordan is doing." Shaking her head at Angela, she talks around the food in her mouth. "My sister is an idiot. If my husband wants to wait on me hand and foot, I'm not going to complain."

"Angela, you shouldn't be giving him a hard time. He didn't get to do this when Maddie was born. He was working. You had to do it. I guess he's trying to make it up to you or something." Angela looks at Brian oddly. He shrugs, saying, "What? I just think you're complaining for nothing."

"Ok, where did Brian Krakow go? You're defending Jordan? I can't believe it!" Danielle and Angela start to laugh.

"What? What's wrong with me defending Jordan? He has been my brother in law for like 8 years. I'm not allowed to take up for him?" Taking a bite of his food, he scowls at them.

"Well, Brain. There was a time when you and Jordan couldn't be in the same room. Even after you started tutoring him again, you guys weren't really friends." Angela shrugs. "I just find it odd, that's all." Angela goes back to eating her food.

* * *

><p><em>March 1995<em>

In the week after Jordan and Angela had made up, they spent every second they could together. Every morning before school, every afternoon, except when Jordan was working. They were together at lunch, in the hall, under the bleachers, in his car, in the boiler room, everywhere.

They were standing in front of Angela's locker after lunch when Brian walked by. Jordan knew that Angela hadn't talked to Brian. They both had been avoiding him. As happy as he was that they were back together, he was also afraid that if she talked to Brian, her feelings would change.

Jordan watched as Brian walked to his locker, then he watched Brian sneak a peek at them. He leaned back against the locker and pulled her to him, kissing her. With her in his arms, he almost forgot about Brian. Almost. When he came up for air, he glanced over at Brian and he was staring right at them. He knew what he had to do.

Telling Angela he'd see her later, he walks over to Brian, who was putting books in his locker. "Hey, Brain, can we talk?"

Looking at him with contempt, Brian shuts his locker and turns to walk away. Jordan reaches out and puts his hand on Brian's shoulder.

Turning back to Jordan, Brian yells at him. "Don't touch me! Just don't touch me. Why should I talk to you? I helped you win her back. What more do you want from me?" Brian, red faced and angry, continues to yell at Jordan in the middle of the hall. "You got the girl. Even after she found out you didn't write the damn letter, she still chose you. I poured my heart out to her and I let you use my words. It made her really happy until she found out it was me. You're such a freaking idiot. No, I'm such a freaking idiot!"

"Brain, look, I don't think we should do this in the hall." Jordan looks around at the crowd gathering. "Let's go outside or something."

"No. I will not go outside. What, you don't want everyone to know the truth? You don't want people to know that you're a retard? You couldn't even write a love letter by yourself! You had me write a love letter to the girl I've been in love with for years so you could get her to sleep with you!" Dropping his backpack to the floor, Brian steps closer to Jordan. "I know what you want from her. The same thing you want from all the girls. Everyone knows how Jordan Catalano is. Once you sleep with her, you'll toss her aside, just like every other girl you've been with."

"Brain, I'm telling you, you don't wanna do this here. Let's take it outside." Jordan tries to touch Brian's arm, but Brian slaps his hand away. The crowd around them grows larger.

"I said don't touch me! Just leave me alone. It's bad enough that I have to live across the street from her. I have to sit in class and watch you two together. I can't go anywhere with out running into you. I have to watch you put your hands on her. At least I love her. I wouldn't pressure her to have sex with me. I wouldn't sleep with her best friend!" Taking a step closer to Jordan, Brian gets in Jordan's face. "You don't even love her!"

Jordan closes his eyes and opens them slowly. "You're wrong."

"What? I didn't hear what you said. Speak up."

"I said, you're wrong. I do love her, Brian. I was wrong to like ask for help. And I did tell her that I didn't write the letter. I didn't lie to her. I'm sorry that I got you involved or whatever." Jordan pushes his hand through his hair. "I know how you feel about her and I'm sorry that I put you in this position. I do love her. And whatever happens between us is no one's business."

"Well, when you get tired of her, I'll be there. When you get what you want and toss her aside, I'll be there for her. You're all wrong for her and she'll see that." Brian steps back and picks his backpack up from the floor and looks back at Jordan. "She'll realize what an idiot you really are and she'll come running to me."

"No, I won't, Brian. I'm sorry, but I don't feel that way about you." Neither Jordan or Brian knew that Angela was standing at the back of the crowd with Ricky and Sharon. Pushing her way through to Jordan, she steps up and puts her arms around him. "Brian, I'm sorry that you've been hurt by this, but I love Jordan. He and I are together and whether he breaks my heart or not, I won't come to you. And you know, this is really none of your business."

"Angela, how could you chose him? He's no good for you. He is going to hurt you, just watch." Taking a deep breath, Brian continues. "I thought once you realized that I wrote that letter to you, then you'd finally give me a chance. I love you. I've loved you since we were little. How could you pick him over me?"

"Because I love him. I'm sorry, but I don't love you, Brian. The letter you wrote was beautiful and it did make me happy, when I thought it was from Jordan. But then I found out it was really from you. You used him, Brian, just as much as he used you." Looking up at Jordan, she asks, "Can we get outta here?"

Taking Angela by the hand, Jordan moves through the crowd. Instead of going to class, they head out the side door. On the way to his car, he pulls her to a stop. "Hey, I'm sorry you had to see that. I didn't want for it to happen that way." Frowning, he touches her face. "I just thought I should talk to him. I didn't know he was gonna like flip out."

"It's ok. Can we go sit in your car, just to talk?" She takes his hand and walks to his car. After waiting for him to unlock her door, she climbs inside.

"I'm sorry, Angela. I know that's all I seem to say lately, but I am." He lays his head back on the seat and closes his eyes.

"Jordan, I'm glad it's over. To be honest, I have been avoiding Brian. I figured he would flip out, I just didn't expect him to do it in the hall in front of the whole school. I kinda thought I would have to face him standing in the middle of the street in front of his house." Sliding closer to him, she leans into him. "Let's not talk about Brian anymore. I want to talk about what just happened."

Opening his eyes, he looks at her in confusion. "Weren't we like, just talking about what happened? I mean, I said I was sorry. I didn't mean to set him off."

Giggling happily, she kisses him quickly. "I wasn't trying to get you to apologize. I mean, why should you be sorry? You just stood in the hall and told everyone that you love me." Seeing his look of panic, she can't help but laugh.

"Shit. I did, didn't I?" He slides his arm around her and pulls her against him. "Damn, I guess I'll just have to make it clear to everyone that I don't like you in that way, or whatever."

Poking him in the ribs, Angela laughs. "Jordan, that is so not funny! Don't remind me. I want to forget all about the first time you asked me to 'do it' with you, ok?"

"Why? It's part of what got us together in the first place. I was trying to cover my ass. I can't believe that I said we should just do it because everyone already thought we did." Kissing her forehead, he starts playing with her hair.

"Well, if Krakow hadn't started the rumor in the first place, then we would have never had to go through all that." She turns her face into his shoulder.

"What are you talking about?" Letting her go, he turns her so that she faces him. "Brain told everyone we did it in my car? He's the one that told people that shit? I don't believe it. Here I was feeling sorry for that little fucker when what I shoulda been doing was kicking his ass!"

"Jordan, that wouldn't solve anything. It was a long time ago, anyway. I think we should just stay away from Brian for a while." She touches his cheek. "He has a right to be angry. I should have talked to him last week. I kinda knew how he felt about me, but I ignored him. I didn't want to deal with it. I've been so happy, I didn't want anyone to ruin it for me."

"Well, I didn't want you to talk to him, either. I kinda thought you would choose him over me." Not wanting her to see how insecure he still is, he looks down, hiding behind his hair. "I mean, he is better for you than I am. He's like smart and good and he wouldn't treat you the way I have."

"Jordan, look at me." She takes his chin in her hand, pulling his eyes back to hers. "I chose you. It's you I want to be with. None of the rest of it matters."

Pulling her into his arms, he buries his face in her hair. "Yeah, well, I still want to go kick his ass."

* * *

><p><em>Present day<em>

It's late afternoon when Jordan arrives home. Pulling into the driveway, he sees that Danielle and Brian are there. Shutting off the engine, he opens the door and grabs his laptop case before heading in through the garage.

Jordan VO: _I can't believe Shane let me sleep all day. I knew I was tired, but I can't believe I slept 8 hours. I do feel better though. _

Walking in the door, he sees Angela, Danielle, Brian and Maddie sitting at the kitchen table. Angela greets him with a smile and a kiss.

Looking up at him, she says, "Did you enjoy your nap? You certainly look refreshed."

"Yeah, I guess I didn't realize how tired I was." After greeting everyone, he asks, "Where's the baby?"

Rolling her eyes, Angela laughs. "He's been fed and changed and now he's sleeping in his crib. He's good for a while. Why don't you let me worry about him and you just relax?"

"Are you sure you should be up running around? You've looked after him all day. Don't you think you need to take it easy?" Hearing everyone laugh, he looks around the table. "What? She just had a baby, she should be resting."

Brian is the first to speak up. "Jordan, all we've heard is how you won't let her do anything. She's complained nonstop about how you wait on her hand and foot and treat her like a princess. She wants you to let her change diapers and fix dinner and do laundry. Maybe you should just sit on your butt and not do anything. Obviously, she doesn't appreciate how you're taking care of her so well."

Danielle kicks Brian under the table, while at the same time, Angela smacks him on the arm. "Hush, Brian. That's not how it was, Jordan. She just told us that you're wearing yourself out and she wants to help. She did just have a baby, but she's better and she's starting to feel helpless."

"Hello, I'm still sitting here. I can speak for myself." Standing up next to Jordan, she links her arm through his. "Don't you feel better since you've finally rested."

"I do, but that doesn't mean you need to overdo it. I'm not gonna stop helping with Justin or around the house, so you can just get used to it." Sitting down in the chair where she had been sitting, he pulls her into his lap, kissing her.

Watching her dad and mom kiss, Maddie jumps up from the table. "Ew, I'm going to my room now. I so don't want to see my mom and dad making out in the kitchen." She tells Danielle and Brian bye and heads upstairs.

Watching Angela and Jordan together, Danielle giggles. "Aw, aren't they cute, Brian? It's amazing that they still do that after all this time."

Brian grins, "Yeah, Dani, it's amazing. Angela, you don't know how lucky you are."

Jordan and Brian look at each other and they both start laughing.

**After spending a sleepless night hiding form tornadoes here in Central Georgia, I thought it would be a fitting title for this chapter. I thought about ending this story after the baby was born. I'm not sure where I'm going to go with it. I have so much fun writing the flashbacks, I think I might start a new story, kind of a continuation. Review please...do you want me to keep going, or would you rather I end it? Thanks ~gagirl29**


	22. Family matters

**Family matters**

**A/N: I own nothing... I didn't really have any ideas past the birth of the baby. I thought about ending the story there, but I sat and read the whole thing yesterday (as a reader, not the writer) and I came up with some ideas. (Well, that and my current obsession with everything Leto.) Hope you continue to enjoy! Special thanks to** **WonderingAngel,** **danigirl2259****,** **creceant, and****Lov2-Travel. **

Sitting at the kitchen table, laptop in front of him, with papers strewn all around, Jordan reads the email on the screen for the third time. Having struggled with reading all his life, he wanted to make sure he was understanding what was on the screen in front of him.

Mark, the band's agent, had forwarded him an email directly from the legal department at Atlantic Records. Bypassing most of the legal terminology, what Jordan understood was if Residue refused to embark on an international tour in June of next year, there would be legal action taken against the band.

Sighing, Jordan gets up to fix himself another cup of coffee. Having been up since 5 o'clock that morning, seeing to his now one month old son, he had decided to take care of some of the band's business that he'd been neglecting. Angela had left to take Maddie to school and hadn't made it back home yet. He was debating on how to tell her about what was going on.

Sitting back down at the table, he picks up his phone and dials out Shane's number.

Shane, still sounding sleepy, answers the phone. "Hey, Jay. What's up?"

"Shane, we got a problem, man. I got an email from Mark late last night. Atlantic is not happy and they're starting to make threats." Jordan, falling back on old habits, chews on his thumbnail waiting for Shane to respond.

"What? What do you mean they're making threats. What kind of threats?" Fully wake, Shane rushes on. "About what? We've been working on songs. We've got time to get them recorded. We said we'd do their media tour."

"Well, from what I can get out of the email, if we don't agree to go on tour in June, they'll sue us. It says here, 'Failure to fulfill contractual obligations to promote success of record will result in litigation by Atlantic Records to retain monetary values owed by said party.' That's what it means, right?" Jordan, only struggling over a few of the words, reads more of the email to Shane.

"Damn, Jay. Can they do that? I mean, if we make the album and do the media thing, then we are promoting it, right? That's what I thought Mark said, anyway."

"Who knows, Shane. I think maybe I should call Brian and see what he says about it." Brian, who practiced family law, was always willing to advise Jordan when it came to legal issues. Never really needing one, Residue didn't have a lawyer.

"Go ahead and call him. What could it hurt? Hey, before you call him, you better tell Angela. You don't want her to find out about it from her family. Discuss it with her, see what she thinks."

"Yeah, I will. She hasn't gotten back from taking Maddie to school yet. I'll talk to her about it when she gets here." Rubbing his eyes, he sighs again. "I'm gonna forward the email to you and to Tommy. Will you call him and let him know?" After saying his goodbyes to Shane, Jordan goes upstairs to check in on Justin.

He slowly opens the door to the nursery, trying to be very quiet so he doesn't wake the baby. Walking over to stand beside the crib, he watches Justin sleep.

Jordan VO: _ I don't want to leave my family. I want to be here to watch him grow and change. I want to see him take his first steps and say his first words. Can I just tell them to go to hell? How will that affect Shane and Tommy? Why does everyone have to make demands?_

"Hey, there you are." Angela walks up behind him and slips her arms around his waist, resting her cheek on his shoulder. "I stopped and got some bagels and some diapers. I've never seen a baby go through so many diapers in a day." They stand together watching Justin sleep for a few minutes.

Turning in her arms, Jordan hugs her close and kisses her forehead. "Hey, let's go downstairs. I got an email from Mark last night that I want you to read." They leave the nursery, pulling the door closed behind them.

Walking into the kitchen, Angela makes herself a cup of tea and prepares a bagel for Jordan and herself before sitting with him at the table. He pushes the laptop over in front of her. Watching her read the email, he tries to gauge her facial expressions.

"If you don't leave in June, for Europe, they're going to sue Residue?" Looking over the top of the computer at him, she frowns. "Can they do that?"

"I don't know. We've been arguing with them about this since we went to New York. We told them that we weren't going back on tour. We planned to finish the new album and then do their media tour, but we weren't planning to do the tour." Nervously running his hand through his hair, he continues. "Mark said if we recorded the album and did the media circuit to promote, then we wouldn't have to leave. I guess Atlantic has other ideas."

"So what happens if you guys do all the work on the album and do the media tour and they sue you anyway? Will it all be for nothing?" Sitting back in her chair, Angela seems to think about it for a minute. "Can you take the album to another label?"

"I'm not sure. I know that if we record it under them, then they probably have some kind of rights to the songs, or something." Getting up from his chair, he starts to pace the the kitchen. "This is all starting to get fucked up. I told them in April that I wasn't gonna tour again for a while. It wasn't like I just threw this at them. Shane and Tommy are tired of being gone all the time, too."

Stopping in front of the sink, Jordan spins to look at Angela. "See, we had this all planned out. If we did the album, it would fulfill the agreement we had with them and then we could do what we wanted for a few years. I spent the last 10 years devoting my time to this band and it's success. I just want to be with my family for a while." Looking at her expectantly, he asks, "What do you think we should do?"

"Well, I don't want you to leave, especially if it means you'll be in Europe for several months, but it's not like we can't go with you. At least until Maddie starts back to school next fall. We can work it out, if we need to. We'll do whatever you need us to do." Angela takes a bite of her bagel, slowly chewing. "It's really not about how I feel, though. It's about what you want."

"What? You want me to go? You think we should do the tour?" Crossing his arms, he stares at her. "I thought you wanted me to stay home?"

"No, I don't want you to go on another tour. I want you to be here with us, but I know that making music and performing is what you do. It's all you've ever wanted to do. It's what makes you happy." Getting up from the table she walks over to him. "All I ever wanted is for you to be happy."

"Angela, _you and my kids_ make me happy. Yeah, I love performing, but I don't have to do that to be happy. I'll never stop making music, writing songs. I can do that here, with you and the kids. Here is where I want to be." Caressing her cheek, he tells her, "I've spent way too much time away from you and Maddie as it is. If I leave, I'll have to miss all the important things with Justin. I don't want to do that. And I damn sure don't want my family living out of a hotel room."

"Well, then don't leave. Stay home with us. If Shane and Tommy feel the same way, then tell them no." Leaning into him she slips her arms around his neck. "Whatever happens, we'll deal with it together."

He closes his eyes and wraps her in his arms. "We'll tell them no because I'm not leaving you." Kissing her softly, he pulls back. "How long do we have to wait?"

"Wait for what?" Smiling sweetly at him, she plays dumb.

"C'mon, babe. You know what I mean." He turns around with her still in his arms and pins her to the counter, pressing against her. "How long til we can be together?" Kissing down the side of her neck, he pushes her shirt aside.

"Hmmmm. We're together right now. We're together all the time." She leans her head back and lets him kiss down her throat.

"Red, don't play dumb with me. How long til I can strip you down and make love to you? How long til I can lose myself in you?" Just as he's reaching down to pull her shirt up, Justin starts to cry.

"Ah, are you kidding me?" Jordan straightens her shirt and kisses her on the nose before stepping back from her. "Your son has great timing."

Watching Jordan pout, Angela laughs. "It's just as well. We have to wait a few more weeks anyway. I'll be your Christmas present." Running her hand down across his erection, she kisses him on the cheek. "It'll be worth waiting for."

Jordan stands with his back to the counter, watching Angela leave the room. He smiles to himself thinking about what it will be like.

* * *

><p>Later that night, Jordan, Shane and Tommy are sitting in the den together. All afternoon they had been going back and forth with Mark, who was dealing with the Atlantic executives. Mark had just called to tell them the latest news.<p>

"God damn it!" Jordan throws his hands up in frustration. "If we give them the album they want, but don't go on tour, they're gonna sue. And there's not a fucking thing we can do about it."

"But we don't want to go. I don't know about you, but I've made up my mind and I'm not going back. We've toured for 8 years straight. After 2 platinum albums and how many awards and hundreds of appearances, why can't they give us this?" Tommy, who's usually the quiet one, goes on. "I want to enjoy some of the success that we've had. I've started making plans and for the next 3 years, none of them include sleeping on a damn tour bus or moving from one hotel to another."

"He's right, Jay. They're being unreasonable. Our deal was for 3 albums. We're still willing to do that, but they're trying to tie us into this tour with a loophole. There's got to be something we can do." Shane stands and walks over to the window, looking out.

"Brian said we should continue to work on the album. He thinks we should hire an attorney like tomorrow. 'Cause no matter what we do, we're fucked." Throwing his phone down on the table, he says, "If we're all in agreement, then we need to be ready to fight. This isn't going to go down easy."

"Well, then we fight. We do what we want to do." Shane walks back over and sits on the sofa beside Jordan. "I'm ready."

"Jordan, call Mark right now. Let him know where we stand and let him know it's final. We'll deal with whatever happens." Tommy leaning forward, picks Jordan's phone up off the table and hands it to him.

Jordan makes the call and after hanging up, he looks from Shane to Tommy. "It's done. He'll tell them what we want. I'll have Brian recommend a good lawyer. Boys, I think we have a helluva fight on our hands."

**I promise when I started writing the record company into the story, I wasn't even thinking about 30STM. I was leading in to Jordan wanting to stay home with his family. I'm really finding it difficult to separate Jordan and Jared. It probably doesn't help that I've been getting JL movies back to back from Netflix... Anyway, thanks for reading. I hope you decide to stick with me. Thanks! ~gagirl29 **


	23. Long ago

**Long ago**

**A/N: I own nothing...**

"So, Jay, I ran into Tino the other day." Jordan and Shane are sitting together in the studio a couple days before Christmas. When Shane built his house, he had turned the whole basement into a studio so they wouldn't have to travel to record. They all liked the thought of being home every night.

"Why're you telling me? I could care less." Jordan closes his laptop and starts packing everything in his bag.

"He said he's been back in town for a while. He asked about everyone. You know, wondering how that old gang was and all. He says maybe we could all get together or something." Shane gets up and stretches.

"Uh, no, I don't think so. I don't want to hang out with that fucker. I don't even want to see him." Jordan stands, grabbing his bag and tossing it over his shoulder. "I don't care what he's been up to." Walking toward the door, he calls out. "I'm outta here. Be sure to come by in the next few days, Angela has a present for you."

"Yeah, ok. Hey, why you still holding a grudge against Tino, anyway? That was a long, long time ago. What could it hurt for us to all hang out?" Shane follows Jordan up the stairs. "We were all friends back in the day."

"Drop it, Shane. You know why. I have nothing to say to him. Later." He walks out to his car, throwing his bag into the back seat. He gets behind the wheel and rests his head back against the seat.

Jordan VO: _Who cares if Tino's back in town? I have nothing to say to that asshole. I mean, he did something that friends aren't supposed to do. You just don't hit on your friend's girl._

_May 1996_

In the middle of a song, Jordan looks over to where Angela had been sitting on the floor all through practice. Noticing Tino sitting beside her, he forgets his next line. Still staring at them, he struggles to concentrate on the words. Having completely blown it, he stops playing and turns to the guys. "Hey, lets take a break. I need something to drink, anyway."

He sets his guitar down and walks to the fridge to get a bottle of water. Walking over to where Angela and Tino are sitting, he stops in front of them. Angela looks up nervously. Tino stands up beside him.

"Hey, Catalano. How's it going?" Tino smirks and walks away.

Jordan drops down on the floor beside Angela, handing her the bottle for a drink. "So, what were you and Tino talking about?" Trying to keep his jealousy from showing, he reaches over and tucks her hair behind her ear. "I haven't seen you talking to him before."

Biting her lip, she looks away. "Nothing, he just came over to sit with me." She starts picking at the label on the bottle. "Are you guys almost done? Can we get out of here?"

"I think so, I told them I needed a break. I wanna get through this one song, then we can leave. Wanna come over to my place and help me pack?" Watching her face, he can see the sadness start to take over. Pulling her into him, she rests her head against his chest. "I want to spend as much time with you as I can before we leave next week."

He hears her sniffle, so he holds her tighter. He's thought about what would happen when he left for LA, but he still wasn't ready to face the fact that he was leaving her behind. Even though he was graduating on Saturday, she still had a year left to go. He wished he could take her with him, but he knew her parents would never allow that to happen. Besides, since she was _the _reason he was graduating in the first place, he didn't want to be the reason she didn't.

Looking over her head, he sees Tino watching them. He kisses the top of her head and gently pushes her back. "Hey, let me get back to that song. Then I'll get you outta here." Wiping the tears from her cheek, he gives her a lingering kiss. "I'll be back in a few." Getting up, he walks back over to his guitar.

Trying to block out Angela's tears and his jealousy over Tino talking to her, he makes it all the way through the song. Packing up, he looks over to see Angela standing by the door. Tino was standing in front of her, partially blocking her from his view. He stares at them, willing her to look his way. She darts a glance toward him and he can see the look of panic on her face.

Shoving his guitar in the case, he walks over to where they're standing. "Angela, you ready to go?" Tino turns to look at Jordan, before stepping around Angela and heading out the door.

Angela looks toward the floor, not meeting his eyes. "Yeah, lets go." She reaches for his hand, but still doesn't look up.

"What's going on with you and Tino?" Walking down the steps behind her, he sees her stiffen.

"Nothing. I mean, I don't even know him." Walking around to the passenger side of the car, she opens the door and gets in.

Getting in, Jordan looks over at her. "So, he just decided to talk to you, like outta the blue or something? What did he say?" Grabbing her hand, he pulls her closer.

"He was just talking to me, that's all. I don't wanna talk about Tino anymore." Turning to face the door, she pulls her legs up in the seat and leans back into him. Putting his arm around her he hugs her to him.

"Ok, babe, but I just find it weird that he's talking to you all of a sudden." They sit quietly for a little while, enjoying the closeness. Both lost in their thoughts.

Jordan VO: _How am I supposed to leave her? Can I even do it? How am I supposed to survive if she's not with me? Maybe I shouldn't go. Maybe I should just say to hell with it all and stay here with her. _

So lost in his thoughts, he barely realized Angela was speaking. "...propositioning me."

"What did you say, babe?" Frowning, he looks down at the back of her head.

"I said, he was propositioning me." Turning to look up at him, Angela tucks her hair back.

"Who was propo... What does that mean?" He looks confused.

"It means he, Tino, was offering to, um, comfort me after you leave." She starts biting her lip again, tears welling in her eyes. "I wasn't going to tell you, but I can't keep anything from you."

"WHAT? Like hell he will. What did he say to you?" Jordan sits up straight and turns her around to face him. "I'll kill that son of a bitch!"

"I don't want to repeat it, but I told him I wasn't interested. Don't worry, after you leave, I won't be hanging around any of your friends." Looking down, she starts to tear up. "It hurts so bad, and you aren't even gone."

"Ah, babe, come here." Wrapping his arms around her, he turns her so that she's laying across his lap. Cupping her face in his hand, he kisses her before looking down in her eyes. "Red, believe me when I say that leaving you will be the hardest thing I will ever have to do. I'm starting to think I should just stay here. What's one more year? I can wait until you graduate."

"Jordan, no. I won't be the reason that you give up on your dream. I know how much this means to you. You, Shane and Tommy have been planning this all year. I promise you that no matter where you are, where I am, we will still be together. I'll be fine." Closing her eyes, tears start to leak out.

"Angela, babe, I hate to see you cry. This is tearing me up inside. I wish I could take you with me." Laying his forehead on hers, he sighs. "And now, I have to worry about my friend like making the moves on my girl while I'm gone."

"Jordan, you have nothing to worry about. Whether you're here or there, it doesn't change my feelings. I love you. I'm not interested in anyone else. I wasn't going to tell you, but you knew something was up. I don't want to come between you and any of your friends." Continuing to lay in his arms, Angela starts playing with Jordan's hair. "Let's go to your place. We can start packing, or whatever."

Understanding that she wants to be alone with him, not in the front seat of his car, he kisses her again before sitting her up right. Starting the car, he heads toward home.

* * *

><p>A few hours later, after having dropped Angela off at home, he sets out to find Tino. After riding by his house, then the loft, he finally sees Tino's car in the parking lot of Let's Bolt. Jordan parks his car and starts walking toward the entrance. As he gets to the door, Shane, Tino and Joey are walking out.<p>

"Hey, Catalano. What are you doing here? I thought you would be with Angela." Shane walks up and pushes him.

Ignoring Shane, Jordan walks up to Tino. "Tino. We need to talk."

"What's up, Catalano? Whatcha wanna talk about?" Tino takes out a cigarette and lights up. Shane and Joey walk over to stand beside Jordan's car to wait on him.

"Come off it. I think you know what I wanna talk about." Stepping closer to him, Jordan says, "Stay away from my girl, Tino."

Smirking, Tino grins. "What's it matter? You're gonna be gone in a week anyway. I just told her I'd keep her company while you're gone. She's gonna get really lonely with you being on the other side of the country and all." Taking a drag, Tino blows the smoke out before saying to Jordan, "You'll go find you another piece of ass and I'll be here to comfort her."

"FUCK YOU, Tino! You better not go anywhere near her! Just stay the fuck away from her." Jordan, not wanting to fight his long time friend, takes a deep breath, trying to gain control. "I mean it, Tino. She's off limits."

Tino, having had a few, gives a short laugh. "Well damn, Jay. How do you plan to stop me? You're gonna be all the way out in LA. Don't worry, she won't be sad for long."

Having had enough, Jordan shoves Tino backward. Advancing on him, Jordan shoves him again. "Tino, I swear to God if you go anywhere near her, I'll fucking kill you." Tino shoves Jordan back.

"What's the big deal, Jay? She's just another piece of ass, right? You'll forget about her in no time." Tino, who is taller than Jordan stands above him. "Besides, it's not like you're married or anything."

Jordan completely loses it, punching Tino in the mouth. Tino falls back a little, before straightening and wiping his mouth. "You know what, Tino? I'm done with you. I mean it, stay the fuck away. I might not be here with her, but she's still mine. I won't be gone forever."

Turning away from Tino, Jordan walks back to his car. Shane, knowing that Jordan would never fight with out being provoked, waits for his friend to tell him what's going on. Jordan, who had quit smoking months before, asks Shane for a smoke.

After a few minutes, Jordan throws his half smoked cigarette on the ground. Motioning for Shane and Joey to get in, Jordan gets behind the wheel and pulls out. Heading toward Joey's, they drop him out. Shane, letting his curiosity get the best of him starts to talk. "What was that, Jay? What happened?"

"You know when we were practicing tonight and I like forgot the words or whatever? Well, I looked over and Tino was sitting with Angela on the floor." Looking straight ahead, Jordan goes silent again, expecting Shane to connect the dots.

"Well, ok, but is that a reason for you to punch him? I mean, c'mon. We talk to her all the time. You know it's not like that. Dude, she's like a sister to me." Shaking his head, Shane waits for Jordan to continue.

"Yeah, well, I asked her about it. She said it was nothing. I went back and we finished the song. When we were packing up, I looked over to where she was standing at the door and Tino had her cornered. She looked like she was scared or whatever. I asked her again and she said nothing. We sat out in the car for a little while talking and that's when she told me he like hit on her." Jordan, pulls to a stop in front of Shane's house and shuts the car off.

"What? He hit on her? What did he say?" Shane looks at Jordan in shock.

"She wouldn't tell me exactly what he said, but it had her shook up. He said something like he would comfort her while I was gone or some shit like that. That's not cool. I mean, we're not breaking up. Just because we're going, doesn't mean I don't love her anymore." Running his hands through his hair, he blows out a breath. "Shane, I would take her with us if I could. I don't want to leave her behind."

Seeing how upset his friend is by all this, he tries to comfort him. "Look, Jay. We won't be gone forever. You know how much that girl loves you. She'll be here when you come for her. And as far as Tino goes, I wouldn't worry. She only has eyes for you, man." Squeezing Jordan's arm, Shane grins at him. "Dude, I wish I had a girl that crazy over me."

Jordan turns his head to look at Shane, giving him a small smile. "Yeah, I know. I know how she feels about me. But don't you see? That's what's gonna make it so damn hard to leave."

_Present day_

Angela looks up as Jordan walks through the door. She and Madde are sitting on the floor on a blanket with Justin between them. Trying to let go of his foul mood, he smiles at the picture they make. Dropping his bag in the chair, he kneels down on the floor beside them.

"Hey. What're you guys doing?" He reaches over and tugs on Maddie's hair.

"Hey, Dad. We're just playing with Justin. Mom says we don't need to hold him in our arms all the time. We're letting him lay down here and wiggle around." Smiling sweetly at her little brother, she coos to him.

Angela gets up on her knees in front of him and gives him a kiss. Sensing his mood, she gives him a look. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. It's just been a long day." Getting to his feet, he pulls her up with him. "Hey, Maddie, can you keep an eye on Justin for a few minutes?"

"Sure, Dad. It's not like he can jump up and run off." So engrossed in the baby, she doesn't even look up.

Jordan takes Angela by the hand and pulls her out of the room. When they get around corner, he pulls her against him and kisses her hungrily. Pushing her back against the wall, he leans into her and shoves his hands through her hair, holding her head in place while he ravishes her mouth. Pulling back, he starts kissing down her throat and running his hands down her body, before pulling her hips against him.

"Mmmm, I've missed you, babe." Biting at her neck, he buries his face in her shoulder, hugging her close.

"Wow. Not that I'm complaining or anything, but what brought this on?" She starts to toy with his hair.

"It's been too long, that's all. I don't know how long I can wait before I die of frustration." Kissing her jaw, he separates himself from her.

"Are you sure that's all it is? You seemed a little distracted when you came in." Knowing when to push and when not to, Angela gives him a minute to explain.

"Damn, woman. I can't ever get anything past you." Chuckling, he pulls her in for another kiss. "Shane says he ran into Tino. He wants us all to hang out, or something. I told him to forget about it."

"So, you're like still mad about that? It was what, 15 years ago?"

"Well, yeah. It still pisses me off to think about it. That shit's not cool. You don't do that to your friends." Wrinkling his brow, she can tell his starting to get pissed again. "He like broke some guy code, or whatever. You don't hit on your friend's girl."

Rolling her eyes at him, she laughs. "Oh, whatever. That was sooo long ago. And besides, you are the one that made me forgive Rayanne. What she did was way worse. I say you get over it and go hang out with your friends. Catch up a little bit. I think you'd enjoy it."

Looking at her crazy, he says, "What, I'm not supposed to angry that someone _propositioned _my girl? And we weren't apart. We were very much together at the time."

"But don't you see, Jordan? It was just some words. You obviously took care of it, right? Rayanne said Tino walked around with a busted lip for a few days afterward. He never tried to talk to me again after that." Rubbing his cheek, she smiles at him. "Do I need to remind you who I'm with, who I've always been with?"

"Uh, yeah, that would be nice. You can also remind me what day you're supposed to go back to the damn doctor. I've been walking around in pain for what seems like months." Sighing loudly, he rubs against her. "When can you put me out of my misery?"

Before she can answer, Justin starts to cry in the other room. Standing on her toes, she kisses him and pulls back. "Hold that thought." She peeks around the corner to see Maddie pick the baby up, cradling him to her. She turns back to Jordan. "I have to feed him. Sorry, babe."

As she walks toward the den, he grabs her and pulls her back to him. "Angela, you didn't answer me."

Smiling sweetly, she pulls his head down and whispers in his ear, "Do you think you'll make it until we get the kids in bed?"

She leaves him standing there, grinning like an idiot.


	24. Waiting

**Waiting**

**A/N: I own nothing...**

New Years Eve, Jordan is standing in Shane's living room. It still being early, more people walk through the door. Looking around at all the people gathered for Shane's party, he half listens to what Mark is saying. He really doesn't feel like talking about the lawsuit tonight.

Jordan, Shane, Tommy and Mark are standing off to the side near the balcony door. Mark is saying something about traveling to LA to meet with Sony Records. Shane, who was over it as well, turns to Mark to say, "Hey, man, can't this wait until Monday? I just want to enjoy my own damn party without this shit getting in the way. You aren't working tonight, so go get you a drink." Mark heads off in the direction of the kitchen, where Shane has a bar set up.

Jordan and his band mates are still standing there, not saying much, just looking around the room. Tommy laughs, "Well, aren't we the life of the party? Put this shit out of your heads and have a good time." He walks over to where Deborah is sitting and perches on the arm of her chair.

The room is starting to fill up fast. Jordan turns to Shane and asks, "How many damn people did you invite? It's only 10 o'clock and this place is starting to get packed. You're gonna have fun cleaning this shit up."

"It'll be alright. That's what I pay the maid for, huh?" Greeting some guy Jordan doesn't know, Shane turns away for a minute before turning back to Jordan who's had a frown on his face since he arrived. "And don't stand around here brooding all night. You go find your wife and enjoy yourself." Shane walks away, leaving Jordan by himself.

Jordan had lost sight of Angela a little while ago. He looks around the room, trying to find her. He spots Joey and his wife over in a corner. Tommy and Deborah are now sitting in the chair together, lost in a private conversation, looking very much in love. Ricky and Simon are over by the fireplace talking to some model chic whose name Jordan can't remember. As he's scanning the room again, he sees Tino walk in.

Deciding to get the awkwardness out of the way, he heads over to him. Tino, the same age as Jordan, was slightly overweight and balding a little. Jordan chuckles to himself thinking that Tino may have been the shit back in the day, but times definitely hadn't been good to him.

When he's standing in front of Tino, he greets him. "Hey, Tino. How's it going, man?" He sticks his hand out for a handshake.

Taking Jordan's hand, Tino greets him back. "Hey, pretty boy. I'm not bad, man. Selling cars now, all legal and shit." They both laugh at his reference to the past. "So, how you been? Besides all that successful singing bullshit?"

Smiling at his friend, Jordan says, "You know, I can't complain. We're taking a break right now from touring, working on a new album. Me and Angela have two kids, a girl and a 7 week old baby boy. Things are great."

"That's good, Jay. I'm glad things are going well for you." Walking toward the bar, Tino says, "I've kept up with news on the band and all. Seeing as you guys were my closest friends back then. You're a hell of a lot better at singing than I was. You guys are really good."

Tino grabs a beer and offers one to Jordan. When Jordan declines, Tino looks at him oddly. "Still not drinking? I would think you know how to party with the best of them."

"Nah, I don't drink. I've seen that shit destroy people close to me." Jordan shakes his head. Stepping over to lean against the wall, he and Tino stand off to the side of the crowd, talking.

"You talking about your old man? I heard he's doing good. Dad talks about him sometimes. He's been clean for a few years, right?"

"Yeah, Dad's actually been sober for 5 and a half years now. I don't know what my wife said to him, but I guess she scared him straight." Thinking about Angela made him smile.

"That's great. I used to worry about your sorry little ass. You didn't have it all that easy growing up." Seeing that Jordan is starting to get uncomfortable, Tino changes the subject. "So, I saw the original pictures of you and Graff in the tabloids. Then I saw the retraction. What the hell happened?"

Scratching his chin, Jordan tells Tino about his recent run-ins with Rayanne, Tino's one-time on and off girlfriend. "It wasn't pretty. And what makes it worse, was Angela was pregnant. I was worried what all that crazy shit was gonna do to her. Luckily, everything turned out fine. Graff's outta rehab now, so I hope she's getting her life together."

"Damn, Jay. That girl always was a little off. I knew she had a thing for you back then, but damn. People grow out of that shit, right?" Frowning, Tino continues, "Look, Jay, I know it was a long time ago, but I'm sorry for, you know, coming on to Angela or whatever. I knew you were crazy about her, but I never thought it would last. You're Jordan fucking Catalano, you were never with a girl more than a few weeks. I thought you'd break up with her when you left, or I would have never went there."

Jordan, seeing how uncomfortable Tino is, touches the other man on the arm. "No sweat, Tino. It was a long time ago. That shit has bugged me for a long time, but I'm over it now. Let's just put it behind us, ok? It's been really good seeing you, catching up."

Jordan and Tino talk for a little while longer when he spots Angela across the room talking to Sharon. She has her head tilted to the side and she's biting her lip while listening to what Sharon is saying. He stands there listening to Tino, studying his wife.

Angela's hair, blonde and long, was curling down her back. She was wearing a short, black dress, scooped at the neck and low in the back. Sitting as she was on the sofa, her legs were crossed at the knee. He could see an awful lot of thigh when she turned to the side. He watched as she reached up to tuck her hair behind her ear.

Tino, having lost Jordan, follows his gaze. "Damn, Catalano. That's Angela?"

Jordan tears his gaze away to scowl at Tino. "What? Yeah, that's Angela. What do you mean by that?"

"Nothing. She's just changed some since the last time I saw her." Tino grins at Jordan as he continues to scowl.

"No, she hasn't. She still looks that same to me. Well, except her hair isn't red anymore and she may have put on a little weight, but she just had a baby." Jordan looks back to his wife.

Laughing now, Tino punches Jordan in the arm. "Trust me, man. Your wife has changed some, but in a good way. I'd keep her tied to me at all times if I were you."

Shaking his head, Jordan continues to stare at Angela. "Don't worry. I don't plan on letting her go."

Turning to his friend, Jordan makes his excuses and heads straight for Angela. She looks up and smiles at him as he approaches. Sitting down on the arm of the sofa, he rests his hand on her shoulder as she continues to talk to Sharon. When he looks down at her, he has a nice view down the front of her dress.

He hears her say something, but doesn't catch it. Glancing at the clock, he starts counting down the hours until he can get her alone.

* * *

><p>Angela, sitting with Sharon on the sofa, with Jordan's hand on her shoulder, looks up at her husband. Recognizing the look he's giving her, she chuckles to herself and pats him on the leg. Following his gaze down to the front of her dress, she's pretty sure she knows what he's looking at. Smiling to herself, she turns her attention back to Sharon.<p>

"Well, it's over this time. For good. When he left, he took all his clothes with him. He has an apartment over on Riverside." Sharon takes a drink from the glass in her hand. "And you want to know the sad part? I'm not even upset. You'd think after all the years we were together, I'd at least be angry or something. I think I'm just glad it's over. And the twins don't seem to be that bothered by it."

Angela, still trying to listen to her friend, feels Jordan's hand travel across her shoulder, under her hair and down her bare back. She glances up at him, then back to Sharon. "Sharon, you and Kyle have split up so many times over the years, I think maybe the boys are used to it. It's amazing that you lasted this long."

Trying to concentrate on Sharon and not what Jordan is doing with his hand, Angela starts to squirm around. He moves his hand down to the top of her dress and slips his fingers inside, moving up her side and around to caress her breast. She takes a deep breath and leans back into him, trying to stop his hand.

"I'm telling you, Angela. I'm not letting him come back this time. If he wants a girlfriend so bad, he can live with her and let her take care of him. I'm done." Looking down at her empty glass, Sharon gets up. "You guys want me to bring you something?"

Jordan shakes his head and Angela says, "No, I'm good."

Jordan gets up and pulls Angela up from the sofa before taking her seat and pulling her down in his lap. He starts toying with the bottom of her dress. Crossing her legs, she squeezes them together. Sitting as she is, she can feel his erection pressed against her.

"Jordan, what are you doing? Are you trying to make me crazy? I can't think straight when you do that. And people are watching." She leans over to kiss him and pulls back.

Running his fingers across the inside of her thigh, he starts kissing her neck. She whispers, "Jordan, stop. There are people all around us." She places her hand on top of his to stop it from moving. After a few seconds, she moves her neck away from his mouth.

He pulls her head back to him and in that voice that drives her crazy, he says, "Babe, no one is watching. And so what if they are? I think everyone in this room knows we're married." He moves his hand back up her leg and under the edge of her dress. "Let's leave. No one will miss us. I wanna get you out of this dress." He licks her ear and moves his hand higher.

Angela, closing her eyes, moans as his fingers touch the edge of her panties. "We can't leave. Shane would be upset. Stop torturing me." She crosses her hands over her lap to hide that fact that Jordan's hand is all the way under her dress, inching under her panties. "Jordan!"

By now, she's so turned on, she can't think about anything but his mouth and his hands touching her. She whispers in his ear, "Follow me upstairs in a minute. Meet me in the Shane's bathroom." She pulls his hand from under her dress and tugs it all the way down, before standing up and heading up the stairs. Passing people all along the way, she heads in to Shane's bedroom, hoping that he won't mind. Making sure no one is around, she walks into his master bathroom and shuts the door.

Angela looks in the mirror and chuckles to herself. Her skin is all flushed and she has obvious whisker burn down the side of her neck. She turns to lean against the counter, waiting on Jordan.

* * *

><p>Jordan sits on the couch, trying to gain his composure. He knows he has to give his body time to cooperate, but all he wants to do is run up the stairs behind Angela.<p>

Jordan VO: _Damn, did she just tell me to meet her upstairs? With an all out party going on down here and people everywhere? I sure as hell didn't expect that._

Sitting there a few more minutes, Jordan looks around the room again. Everyone seems to be talking and having a good time. He gets up and not making eye contact with anyone, heads up the stairs. Finding his way to Shane's bedroom, he pulls the door closed behind him and locks it. Walking across the room, he opens the bathroom door and shuts and locks it behind him. Angela is standing against the counter looking back at him.

They stand for a minute, just staring at each other. He can tell how turned on she is by the flush of her skin. He takes two steps toward her and she meets him half way. Wrapping his hands in her hair, he holds her head in place for a long wet kiss. He kisses cheek, across her jaw and down her neck. Letting go of her hair, he pushes the straps of her dress down her arms, freeing her breasts. Kissing his way down her chest, he goes to work on first one breast then the other, alternately licking and sucking.

Making his way back up to her mouth, he slips one hand under her dress while the other caresses her breast. Her hands are all over him, pulling at his shirt. He pushes his hand into her panties, feeling how wet she is. Moaning against her mouth, he pulls back and drops to his knees.

Reaching under her dress with both hands, he grabs her panties and pulls them down and off. He pushes her dress up and starts to plant kisses along the inside of her thighs, slipping a finger inside of her, stroking her slowly. Holding her up with the other hand, he removes his finger and spreads her legs apart. Leaning in he licks her greedily. He can hear her breathing hard and whimpering as he licks and sucks on her.

Feeling her legs start to shake, Jordan pulls back and stands up. Kissing her hungrily, he walks her backward toward the counter. Turning her to face the mirror, he reaches up to caress her breasts from behind. Watching her, eyes half closed, lips swollen, he feels himself harden even more.

Moving her hair aside, he starts licking and biting at the back of her neck, while reaching down to free himself. Leaning her forward, he pulls her dress up and spreads her legs wider. Making eye contact with her in the mirror, he watches her face as he slowly pushes himself inside her.

He watches as her eyes close and she bites her bottom lip to keep from crying out. Holding on to the counter, she pushes back into him. Slowly, watching her the whole time, he starts to move in and out, knowing that if he speeds up it will be over too quickly. His hands, gripping her ass are sure to leave bruises.

After a few minutes, Jordan can feel himself start to lose control. Wrapping his arms around her, he pulls her up in front of him. Still buried inside her, he moves one hand to her breast and the other to her clit, both working her body as he moves in and out of her.

He feels her body start to tighten around him. He moves faster, all the while watching in the mirror. With her head thrown back and her mouth open, he watches her let go, crying out his name. Holding her to him, he continues pound into her and soon follows her over the edge.

Barely able to stand, he slowly pulls away from her and leans into the counter, closing his eyes for a minute. When he opens them, he looks over to see Angela grinning at him.

"Wow." is all she can say. They both start to laugh.

* * *

><p>Several minutes later, Jordan after having kissed Angela thoroughly and straightened his clothes, heads back downstairs, leaving Angela to put herself back together. Walking into the kitchen, he sees Shane, Joey and Tino standing together.<p>

Shane, seeing Jordan, calls out to him. "Jay, where the hell did you go? I've been looking for you for a while."

Jordan, smiling now, walks up to stand with them. "I didn't go anywhere. What's up?"

"Tino and Joey wanted to go down to the studio. We went looking for you, 'cause I don't know what shit you got laying out down there. I know how funny you are about people seeing our work before it's done." Shane gives him a funny look.

"I think everything's put away." Catching Shane's look, he says, "What?"

Shane shakes his head. "Then lets take 'em down and show them the studio." Shane leads the way to the basement.

Jordan walks down the stairs first, followed by Shane and the others. He opens the door and waits for everyone to walk inside. As Shane walks by, he smirks and shakes his head. "What the hell is your problem, Jones?

Shane turns back to Jordan and says, "You didn't use my bed, did you?"

Jordan, now grinning, says, "Hell, no. I wouldn't do that!" He walks by Shane, laughing. "We used your bathroom."

Throwing his arm around Jordan, he starts to laugh. "Well, at least you're smiling now."

**Hope you enjoyed it! As always, reviews are definitely welcome. Thanks for sticking with me. ~gagirl29**


	25. Too much

**Too much**

**A/N: I own nothing...**

"WHAT? How many million? That's fucking ridiculous!" Jordan, who's pacing the kitchen, yells into the phone at Elliot, Residue's lawyer. "That's god damn bullshit and they know it! How the hell did they come up with that number? Hell, I guess we should feel flattered, right?"

Justin, who had been sleeping peacefully in Angela's arms, starts to cry. From where she was sitting in the den, she couldn't see Jordan, but she could hear every word he said, or yelled rather. Justin had an ear infection and had kept her up most of the night. At 3 months old, he had been sleeping longer and longer at night, but with him not feeling well, he had just wanted to be held. Rocking him gently, she tries to calm him down.

Instead of quieting, the baby starts to cry louder. Getting up, Angela starts to walk back and forth across the den, with Justin cradled to her chest. Now fully worked up, Justin is practically wailing.

From the other room, Jordan yells, "Jesus Christ, Angela! I'm on the fucking phone. Could you please get him to shut up?"

Eyes widening in shock, Angela stops in her tracks. She knew Jordan was upset. He hadn't been talking to her very much and he'd been in a rather foul mood lately. All he thought about was the lawsuit. When he was home, he was either on the phone or in the garage. He didn't come to bed until late. He wasn't helping her with the baby and Maddie never saw him.

She stood, rooted to the spot, bouncing Justin up and down on her shoulder, trying to calm him. Nothing seemed to help. The baby continued to cry. Walking into the hallway, Angela heads toward the stairs. As she turns the corner, she runs into an angry Jordan.

"Hold on, Elliot." Jordan puts his hand over the phone. Scowling at Angela, he says, "Do you mind? He's so fucking loud I can barely hear myself think."

"Well, excuse me! I'm sorry that your son isn't feeling well. I'm trying to calm him down." Brushing past him, she heads up the stairs. "If you hadn't been yelling in the first place, he would still be sleeping!"

Shutting herself in the nursery with Justin, she sits in the rocking chair and lets him nurse. He finally calms down to a whimper before he falls back to sleep. Gently laying him in the crib, she tucks the blanket around him and slips out the door.

Still angry at Jordan, she goes in search of him. She finds him in the garage, sitting on the hood of Red screaming into the phone.

"GOD DAMN IT, SHANE. Thirty million fucking dollars! Yeah, and now, we don't have to hurry to finish the god damn album, either." Pushing his hair, now long enough to hang in his eyes, out of his face, he growls in frustration. "It's complete and utter bullshit. Yeah, that's what I told Elliot."

Angela, still unnoticed by Jordan, stands listening to him talk to Shane. Taking the time to study his face, she can see the dark circles under his eyes. She notices how pale and tired he looks. Having always been slim, it was a surprise to notice how his clothes were starting to hang on him.

Angela VO: _Why am I just noticing these things? Have I been so wrapped up in the baby that I couldn't see what Jordan is going through? Has he even been eating right? _

Trying to recall the last time Jordan actually sat down to eat with her and Maddie, she was drawing a blank. She hadn't cook all that often since Justin was born and Jordan had stopped cooking weeks ago. They usually ate whatever food her dad brought over from the restaurant.

"Pack your shit, we leave for New York in the morning. I don't know, 3 or 4 days. Yeah, Elliot is going to meet us there." Scratching his head, Jordan jumps down from the car and faces the wall. "No, I'm meeting Mark in LA on Friday. He's got meetings set up with 3 other labels. Man, right now I'm more concerned about getting signed to another label than I am getting the album done. Hell, I don't know. I should be back by the end of next week." Sighing loudly, Jordan says to Shane. "No, I haven't told her. Whatever, I gotta go pack. Later."

"Told me what?" Angela asks.

Jordan spins around. "Fuck! Don't sneak up on me like that?" He walks around her and into the house.

Following him, Angela asks again, "Told me what, Jordan?"

Grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge, he leans back on the counter, ever present frown on his face. "I'm leaving for New York in the morning. I'll be there for a few days, then I'm flying straight from New York to LA. I don't know how long I'll be out there. Maybe til the end of next week, maybe longer."

Angela just stands there, waiting for him to finish. In the mood he was in, it was better to let him talk and not push.

"What? Why the hell are you standing there staring at me?" Jordan pushes off and heads in to the hall, making his way up the stairs.

Angela, trying to keep her temper in check, takes a deep breath before following him. As she enters the bedroom, he's pulling his suitcase from the closet. He walks over and tosses it on the bed before going to his dresser and pulling out clothes.

"So, you're going to be gone for 2 weeks, maybe more? How long have you known? Did you just find out today?" She walks up and puts her hand on his arm, stopping his movements.

"I've known about LA for a couple days. I just found out about New York a little while ago." Pulling away, he starts shoving clothes in his suitcase. Looking up at her he scowls. "Quit standing there staring at me. Don't you have something to do? A baby to take care of or something?" He walks around her and goes back to the closet.

Not able to hold on to her anger any longer, she lets it go. "Jordan, what the fuck is wrong with you? Why are you being such an asshole to me? Good God!"

"I've just got a lot of shit going on right now, ok? I don't want to talk about it." Jordan turns and goes into the bathroom, pulling stuff from the medicine cabinet.

Sitting on the bed, Angela waits for him to come back. "What do you mean, you don't want to talk about it? All you've done is talk about it. To Shane and Tommy, to Mark, to Elliot, to Brian. Why won't you talk to me about it?" She grabs his hand as he walks by the bed. "You aren't eating right and you aren't sleeping well. You don't talk to me and you yell at me all the time. When you are home, you're on the phone. Maddie doesn't see you much. And when was the last time you even held your son?"

"I'm just stressed out, that's all. This whole lawsuit is getting out of hand. When this is over, everything will be better. I've just got to concentrate on this right now." Using his free hand, he runs his fingers through his hair. "And what the hell do you mean, I don't talk to you? I'm talking to you right now. And I see Maddie every afternoon. I held Justin this morning, while you took a shower. And anyway, weren't you the one who told me you could take care of him? You said I was holding him too much."

Rolling her eyes, she tugs him down beside her. "Jordan, I meant that you don't sit down and tell me what's going on in your head. You're shutting me out. Shouldn't I be the first person you talk to?"

"I don't mean to shut you out. It's just that I don't want you worrying about all this." Biting on his thumb, he turns to look at her. "I was going to tell you I had to leave, but I've been busy. You've been busy, too. Every time I walk into the room, you're either holding Justin or feeding him or changing him. When I get home at night, you're asleep because you've spent all day taking care of him. When am I supposed to talk to you?"

"Well, you can talk to me now. We're both right here and you have my undivided attention." She reaches up and touches his cheek. "Talk to me, Jordan."

Throwing his head back, he sighs. "Babe, it's really messed up. They say we're in breach of contract and now they've named a figure, 30 million. There's no way in hell they're gonna get that from us." Reaching up to tuck her hair behind her ear, he moves his eyes up to meet hers. "I've got to go to New York to meet with our lawyer and theirs. And if we don't find a new label, we won't have to worry about finishing the new album. So long story short, if we don't get backing for the album, and we lose the lawsuit, we'll all end up broke. So I have to go to LA, too. I don't know how long I'll be gone, either."

Angela wraps her arms around him and they lay back together on the bed. "It's gonna be ok, Jordan. You'll come out on top of this. Quit worrying so much and let the lawyers do their job. You're gonna make yourself sick, babe." Kissing his head, she tightens her hold on him. After a few minutes, she feels his body relax. Soon, he's asleep.

Slowly pulling away so not to wake him, Angela gets up and moves the suitcase to the floor. Taking his shoes off and then grabbing a blanket from the back of the chair, she covers him. Brushing his hair from his face, she bends down to kiss his cheek.

As she's pulling back, Jordan grabs her hand and pulls her back down to him for a kiss. "I'm sorry, babe. You know I love you, right?"

Smiling, she kisses him again. "Yeah, I know. Get some rest. I'll help you pack later."

Rolling over onto his side, he pulls the blanket tighter around him and goes back to sleep.

* * *

><p>Jordan wakes slowly from his nap. Getting up from the bed, he stretches his arms over his head. He can hear Angela and Maddie talking down the hall. Glancing at the clock, he realizes he's been asleep for a few hours. It was almost time for dinner.<p>

After using the bathroom and washing his face, he heads downstairs. Walking into the kitchen, he sees Angela standing in front of the stove, stirring what looked to be spaghetti sauce. Maddie was at the counter, tearing lettuce apart for a salad.

Turning, Angela sees him and smiles. "Hey, sleepyhead. Bout time you got up." She lays the spoon down and walks to him, holding her face up for his kiss.

Maddie smiles at him. "Hey, Dad. Mom said you've got to leave tomorrow. How long are you gonna be gone?"

He walks over and hugs her, kissing her cheek. "I'm not sure. Hopefully, I'll be home by next weekend."

"Dinner's almost ready, why don't you pull up a stool and keep us company." Angela goes to the refrigerator and starts pulling out more vegetables for the salad.

Jordan pulls out the stool closest to Angela and watches his girls fix dinner. When everything's about ready, he gets up to set the table. As Angela is serving dinner, Jordan fixes himself and Maddie a glass of milk, and grabs Angela a bottle of water.

They all sit down to dinner together.

**Sorry...I know this is a short chapter, especially after the two longer ones before it. I was feeling a little pissed off today...can't you tell? ;) ~gagirl29**


	26. Coming home

**Coming home**

**A/N: I own nothing...**

Close to midnight, on a cold Tuesday night at the end of February, Angela is lying on the sofa trying not to fall asleep. Jordan was due home any minute and she wanted to be awake when he got there. He'd been gone for just over two weeks and she had missed him.

Yawning again, she sits up and and starts flipping through the channels on the TV. Not really watching, she settles on the local news. Just as she's about to doze off, she hears the front door open. Flipping on the lamp, she turns the TV off as Jordan walks into the room, dropping his bags along the way.

Noticing Angela, Jordan smiles at her and makes his way over to the sofa. Sitting down beside her, he wraps his arms around her. "Hey, Red," he says to her before giving her a kiss.

Having took note of the smile, Angela pulls back to look at him. "Hey, baby. You don't look quite as stressed out as you did when you left. Does that mean you have good news?"

Sitting back, he pulls her against him. "We've got half the problem taken care of. We're working out a deal with Virgin to take on the new album. I don't know all the details yet, but at least we don't have to worry about that part anymore." He strokes her hair, saying, "Damn, I'm tired. I think I could probably fall asleep right here."

Getting up, she pulls him up with her. "Come on, lets go to bed. We'll put your stuff away in the morning."

She heads up the stairs with him following behind. Angela stops to check in on the kids and he goes to the bathroom to shower and brush his teeth. When he returns to the bedroom naked, Angela is standing beside the bed, taking her clothes off. As she's about to pull one of his shirts over her head, he takes it from her, tossing it in the chair. Holding the covers back, Jordan crawls into the bed and pulls her down beside him.

Wrapping her in his arms, he buries his face in her hair. "I love you, babe." He whispers, just as he's falling asleep.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Angela is downstairs, preparing a bottle for Justin. She's at the sink, washing her hands when Jordan comes up behind her wrapping his arms around her waist. Pushing her hair aside, he kisses her neck.<p>

"Good morning, babe." he whispers in her ear.

"Good morning. Did you sleep well?" She turns in his arms to give him a kiss.

"I did. I think I slept better than I have in a while." He hugs her tight before letting go. Taking the bottle from her hands, he smiles. "Mind if I feed him?"

"Jordan, of course not. I heard him moving around, but I haven't been in there. He'll need his diaper changed." She smiles back at him.

"No problem. I think I can handle that." Stealing another kiss, he tells her. "I'll wake Maddie up on the way. What's for breakfast?"

"I don't know, what would you like? I could make some pancakes and sausage." She starts rummaging in the cabinet. "Would that work?"

"Sounds good to me. I'll take care of the kids, you get to cooking, woman." He walks out of the room humming.

Smiling to herself, she starts breakfast.

* * *

><p>Later that morning, Jordan tucks a now sleeping Justin into his crib. He stands there watching him sleep for a minute, before brushing his hand over the baby's dark curls. Turning out the light, Jordan goes downstairs in search of Angela. He finds her in the kitchen, leaning on the counter talking on the phone.<p>

"Well, Sharon, you knew this wasn't going to be easy. How should I know, I've never been through a divorce?" Seeing Jordan, she turns to the coffee pot and pours Jordan a cup, handing it to him while she continues to talk. "I know he's the one that cheated on you. You've what? Who?"

Jordan, now sitting at the table, watches Angela's eyes go round with shock. He gives her a questioning look. She just starts shaking her head.

"How long has that been going on? Does anyone else know? Well, you better be careful. Don't drag him into your messy divorce. He doesn't need any negative press right now. No, this isn't about Jordan. Damn it, Cherski. You better not hurt him." Walking over to Jordan, Angela drops down in his lap.

"I've gotta go, Sharon. Just remember what I said." Angela hangs up the phone, laying it on the table before wrapping her arms around Jordan's neck.

"What's not about me?" Jordan says, as he nuzzles her neck.

"Guess who's been getting it on since New Years? And if you tell me you already knew about it, I'll kill you." She holds her neck to the side to give him better access.

"Well, obviously it's Sharon. And I'm guessing since my name and the press were mentioned, that it'd have to be Shane." Chuckling, he kisses up the side of her neck. "And I didn't know about it until last week." Jordan flinches as she pinches his stomach. "Damn, that hurt!"

"So, you knew about it last week and didn't tell me? That's not even funny, Catalano." She pulls her head away from him, pouting. "If she hurts him in any way, I will kick her ass. I won't have another one of my friends put him through hell."

"Well, Angela, Shane Jones is a big boy. He can handle himself. And really, Sharon is not Rayanne." Pulling her back to him, he kisses her cheek. "Who knows, they may be happy together."

Sighing loudly, she says, "I still can't believe you didn't tell me! How can you keep that kind of information to yourself?"

Grinning at her, he says, "Ah, babe. I love it when you pout. You're so cute!" He pushes her up from his lap. Draining his coffee cup, he takes it to the sink before coming back and taking her hand. "Come with me, I have something for you."

They walk into the den together. Jordan picks his bag up from the floor, before taking her over to sit on the sofa. Laying his bag on the table, he pulls out his laptop. Opening it, he boots it up, typing in a web address. He reaches into his bag again, pulling out a large manila envelope and a small gift wrapped box.

Turning to her, he hands her the gift box. "I'm sorry I missed Valentine's day last week. I saw this when I was walking back to the office from lunch. I just had to get it for you." Smiling at her sheepishly, he says, "I hope you don't think it's too cheesy."

She opens the box to reveal a very simple silver charm in the shape of a heart. She picks it up, turning it over in her hand. On the back, in tiny letters, it says _'i'm here with you. ~J'_. She lays it back in the box and puts the box down on the table. Leaning over, she kisses him. "It's not cheesy. I love it."

"Well, I have a hard time choosing gifts for you. I wanted it to mean something, you know?" Still holding the envelope in his hand, he gives it to her. Nodding to the envelope, he says, "Before you open that, I just want to tell you that I know you'll have a lot of questions. I want you to know no matter what we decide, we'll decide together. I meant to give this to you as an anniversary present, but I didn't want to wait until next week. I thought about this a lot over the last few weeks, and I thought it was a good decision. Now, I'm not so sure."

Angela, a look of confusion on her face, turns the envelope over in her hand and opens it. She pulls out the papers inside and a set of keys falls into her lap. She looks at the papers, then back up at Jordan. "You bought us another house? In California? Without asking me?"

"Look, don't get mad, ok? I don't mean we have to move to California. I just thought since I'm gonna have to spend a lot of time out there in the next few months, we needed a place to live. I'm not going without you." He takes her hands in his. "Red, I said I wanted to be home with you and the kids. I don't want to be on the other side of the country dealing with this stuff and you be here."

"Jordan, what about Maddie's school? What about Mom and everyone else? We can't just pack up and go to California for a few months." Closing her eyes, she shakes her head. "I wish you would have talked to me about this."

"We can take Maddie with us. Hell, your mom, too. All we have to do is work out the details." Touching her face, he moves her eyes up to his. "Angela, this is our home. I'm not saying we sell our house and move out there for good. I just want to make it easier for us to be together. I don't want us having to steal time together, one or the other flying back and forth. I don't want us living from a hotel room, either. I want my family with me."

"I don't know, Jordan. This is a lot to think about." She leans back and tucks her hair behind her ear. "Maddie still has school and Mom is still running the print shop. We'll have to talk to both of them."

"It's all just details, babe. We can hire a tutor for Maddie or put her in one of the private schools. They have a few really good ones. She'll probably enjoy it. And when was the last time your mom took a vacation? It may be good for her." Sitting up, he grabs the laptop from the table, holding it in his lap. "Look, I have pictures of the house. I was looking for an apartment and I came across this."

Jordan has a real estate site pulled up, after a minute, he passes the laptop to her. In front of her is one of the most beautiful houses Angela has ever seen. Jordan, nervous about what she will think, starts chewing on his thumb, alternately looking at her face and then back to the laptop.

The house was located north of Pacific Palisades on the edge of Topanga State park. Jordan, who had always wanted to live in the mountains, chose the house because of it's location on the foothills of the Santa Monica mountains. Set back in the woods, it had a long, winding driveway. The house, 2 stories, with a studio in the basement had seemed perfect to him, but as with everything he did, he wanted her approval.

As she looks at the pictures, he recalls what it was like actually standing in each room. There were 6 bedrooms, all on the second story, and 4 baths. The living area took up most of the whole first floor, flanked on one side by the open kitchen and dining area. One wall was completely glass, looking out toward the forest. It was a little bigger than what he had planned on, but with their family and friends, it would work.

In addition to the studio in the basement, there was also an indoor pool and a theater room. There was a 3 car garage off to the side of the house with it's own 2 bedroom apartment. It seemed a little extravagant, but considering he hadn't spent hardly any of the money he'd earned over the years, he had decided to splurge. Lawsuit or not, he wanted his family to live in comfort.

Looking back at Angela, he tries to read her expression. She looks up at him and slowly smiles. "Jordan, is this really _our _house? We own this?"

"Yeah, as of yesterday." He nervously licks his lips. "What do ya' think? Do you like it? Do you think you could live there for a while?"

"Well, I don't know, Jordan. Seeing as it would be pure torture to live in such luxury, I think I may be able to deal with it as long as you're there with me." Sitting the laptop on the table, she pushes him back and straddles his lap. She cradles his face in her hands and kisses him.

When she sits back and starts to laugh, it's his turn to be confused. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing." She continues to giggle.

"What?" He pokes her in the side. "Tell me."

"Well, I was just thinking, if you wanted to make snow up in the mountains, these weren't the mountains to do it." Burying her face in his neck, she continues to giggle.

"Oh, shut up. I don't even know why I said that! All I could think about was kissing you, so I said the first thing that came to mind. I was a fucking idiot back then." Pushing her up so that he can look at her face, he asks, "So, you aren't mad? I mean, I did do this without asking you first."

"No, I'm not mad. How can I be mad when my husband, who obviously loves me very much, gives me a gift like that?" Smiling, she brushes the hair from his eyes. "Just don't expect me to give you something this extravagant. I don't think I could top it."

"Red, I don't expect you to give me anything. Another year with you is more than enough." Pulling her tightly to him, he kisses her deeply.

After a few minutes of kissing and touching, Jordan nudges her off his lap. Taking her hand, he pulls her up the stairs behind him, leading her to their bedroom.

**This wasn't one of my favorite chapters, but I decided to post it anyway. I've had a very rambunctious 3 yr old running around the house, screaming for me to put away the laptop and take him to the park all morning. Guess I'm off to the park! Hope you enjoy... ~gagirl29**


	27. Together alone

**Together apart**

**I own nothing...**

**Ok, ok...after seeing how many hits I've gotten on ch 8 and ch 24, I decided this would be a good chapter to leave you with for the weekend. As always, please review...I love reading you posts. Enjoy!**

After two weeks in California, Angela was starting to hate it. It wasn't the house, or the city. It was the idea that she came to California to be with Jordan, but the only time she even saw him was at night, when he came home to sleep.

She spent all day stuck in the house, just her and Justin. Having a 4 month old as your only company would drive anyone crazy. Patty had decided to stay in Three Rivers with Maddie until Spring Break which was still a week away. She missed her mom and she missed her daughter. Talking on the phone with them just wasn't the same.

Laying Justin down for his nap, Angela decided to take a swim, hoping to relieve some tension. After changing into her bikini, she grabs the baby monitor and heads down to the pool. Turning the radio on, she sets her towel and the baby monitor on the table, before slipping into the water. She aimlessly swims from one end of the pool to the other, trying to work off her frustration.

Swimming to the steps at the far end, she climbs from the pool. Pushing her hair from her face, she turns to see Jordan, who still has his sunglasses on, lounging in a chair over by the table. Startled, she yells at him. "Good God, Jordan! You scared the shit out of me." Walking over, she grabs her towel and wraps it around her. "What are you doing home?"

"What, I need a reason to be here?" Jordan clenches his jaw, frowning. "Our meetings are over for the day. I thought I'd come home and spend some time with you."

Still a little pissed off, Angela snaps at him. "Well, damn. I guess I should feel special or something."

"What the hell does that mean?" He sits up, taking off his glasses and tossing them on the table. "I haven't been around much lately and I thought we could have some time together."

"Exactly! You haven't been around much lately. If I had known this is how things were going to be, I would have stayed in Pennsylvania! I didn't come out here just to sit around the house by myself." Standing with her hands on her hips, continues, "What exactly are you doing in LA that you can't do here? Isn't that why you bought a house with a studio in the basement?"

Sighing loudly, Jordan pushes his hand through his hair. "It's not all about laying down the tracks, Angela. We could do that here. They're going over the tracks we already recorded and they don't like half of them. But, whatever." Getting up from the chair, he stands over her. "You knew I'd be busy. Don't act so bitchy about it. I came out here to work."

"And I came out here to be with you, except you're never here. All I am is your bed warmer. If that's what you wanted, you should have bought an electric blanket." Angela turns away and shuts the radio off, grabbing the baby monitor. Stepping around Jordan, she heads toward the stairs.

She only makes it a few steps before he grabs her by the arm, turning her back to him. "Babe, it's not like that. I came home to be with you today, didn't I?"

"Did you? Are you going to be with me? Or are you gonna hang around the house until you get a phone call and then lock yourself in the office?" She frowns up at him. "If you want to spend the afternoon with me, shut your damn phone off and be with me."

"Red, I can't just turn my phone off! What if they try to reach me?" Now scowling at her, he says, "We can spend the afternoon together. I won't answer my phone unless it's important."

"Ugh! Every phone call you get is important." Snatching her arm away, she runs up the stairs. Walking through the living room, she heads up the stairs to the bedroom.

Jordan catches up to her as she's walking through door. "Angela, why are you acting like this? It's not like we haven't done all this before? What's different?"

"What's different? I'm not at home. I'm 2500 miles from my mother and my daughter and all the rest of our family. I'm out here by myself, just me and my 4 month old son." Looking down at the floor, she tries to fight back tears.

"Babe, you aren't alone. I'm here." Leaning back against the wall, Jordan crosses his arms. "Things are busy right now, but once we get this stuff sorted out, it will slow down. I can start coming home at a decent hour. Then, when we start laying down the rest of the tracks I'll be home all the time."

Angela continues to stare at the floor, tears now streaming down her face. Jordan walks over to her. Turning her face up to his, he wipes at her tears. "Angela, I'm here with you. You aren't alone."

Sniffling, she says, "I may as well be alone, you're never here. You leave before I get up and you come home and fall into the bed." Wiping her face on the towel still wrapped around her body, she continues to cry. "And, I'm homesick."

"Your mom and Maddie will be here next week. Why don't you invite Sharon and the boys out, too. I'll call Graham and see if Jamie can come. Then you won't feel so homesick. Will that make you happy?"

"I'd love to have everyone out here, but what happens when everyone is gone? What I really want is some time with you." She bites her lip, looking up at him through her lashes.

"Well, I'm here with you right now and you're standing there arguing with me. Why are we wasting our time together fighting?" Grabbing her towel, he pulls it away and tosses it on the floor. "Before you decided to jump out of the pool and bite my head off, I was thinking of joining you."

Turning her around with her back to him, he pushes her hair over her shoulder and unties the strings holding her top in place, letting it fall. Untying the strings across her back, he pulls the top from her body, and drops it on top of her towel. Running his hands over her shoulders, he leans forward and places a kiss on the back of her neck.

"Wanna go back down to the pool?" he whispers in her ear.

Shaking her head, Angela leans back into his chest. Jordan chuckles, wrapping his arms around her. His hands move up to fondle her naked breasts. With one hand still on her breast, the other hand moves down to caress her stomach. "Then what do you want to do? I'll do what ever you want me to. I'm all yours."

"Hmmmm, why don't you just keep doing what you're doing? That feels nice." She relaxes her body into his. Feeling the roughness of his clothes against her naked back, she wiggles a little. She feels his fingers, rough from so many hours playing the guitar, moving over her skin. His whiskers, from 2 days without shaving, scrape along her neck as he kisses her there. She can't help but shiver.

"Is this what you want? Do you like it when I touch you this way?" He talks to her in that husky voice that never fails to excite her. Taking her nipple between his fingers, he pulls on it gently. His other hand moves down her stomach and he pushes his hand under her bikini bottoms. Moving his fingers through her soft patch of hair, he slips them between her legs. Hearing her moan, he chuckles. "I guess that's a yes."

Angela pulls away from him, only to turn in his arms. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulls him down for into a hungry kiss. Sucking his bottom lip into her mouth she wraps her fingers in his hair. Jordan continues to use his hands on her body, caressing her back before moving his hands down to squeeze her ass. All the while, their tongues dancing together.

Angela breaks the kiss, reaching down to tug his shirt up, pulling it over his head. She returns her mouth to his, moving her hands across his chest and down to button of his jeans. Working to free him of his jeans, she starts kissing along his jaw, down his neck and across his chest. Stepping back a little, she grabs his jeans in both hands and pulls them down, boxers and all. When she moves to drop to her knees in front of him, he puts his hands on her shoulders to stop her.

"Not this time, babe." He toes his shoes off and bends down to completely remove his pants. Picking her up, he carries her to the bed setting her down in the middle. Pushing her back on the bed, he reaches for her bottoms and pulls them off, tossing them on the floor. Climbing over her, he takes her mouth in a kiss. Holding himself above her with one hand, he runs the other hand from her shoulder, over her breast, down over her stomach, before he pushes her legs apart.

Looking up at Jordan, eyes half closed, Angela says, "Jordan, don't wait. I want you inside of me."

Jordan moves above her, settling between her legs. Looking her in the eye, he pushes into her. Slowly, he starts to move in and out. Watching her face, he smiles down at her.

Angela, not wanting it slow, moves her hips to meet him. He begins to move faster, making her moan. As Jordan moves above her, Angela caresses his back, moving her hands down to his ass, before moving them back up to his shoulders. Wrapping her legs around him, she urges him to move faster.

Jordan closes his eyes, burying his face in her neck. His body, now slick with sweat, is sliding over hers as he's moving in and out of her. Wrapping one hand in her hair to hold her head aside, he starts kissing and sucking on her neck. His other hand, moving down her side, over her hip, he squeezes her leg.

Angela, crying out his name, grips his shoulders tightly as she comes. Jordan continues to move in and out of her, feeling her body contract around him. Moving faster and faster, he bites down on her neck, coming with her.

After a few slower strokes, he collapses on top of her. Angela, completely spent, moves one hand up to Jordan's hair, holding him in place.

"Jordan. Hey, wake up." Angela shakes him gently.

Jordan rolls over on to his back, slowly opening his eyes. Seeing Angela, still naked, leaning over him, he smiles up at her. Tugging on her hand, he pulls her down to him. "Hey, babe." he says, before kissing her.

Smiling back at him, she sits back up. "Hey, Shane just called. You need to call him back."

"I thought you didn't want me to use my phone this afternoon. I turned it off." Pushing his hair out of his eyes, he yawns before sitting up on the bed.

"Yeah, I know. He called my phone. He wouldn't tell me what he wanted, just that he needed to talk to you. He sounded kind of excited." Handing his phone to him, she watches as he turns it back on and dials Shane's number.

Grabbing her hand, he pulls her up to sit beside him. "Hey, Shane. What's up?" As he listens to Shane, he leans over to kiss Angela on the head. "WHAT? Well, God damn."

Jordan starts to laugh. Angela looks at him in confusion. "Yeah, I can't believe it. Well, I'm laughing because the one time I turned my phone off, I miss a very important call. What? No, I just wanted to spend some time with my wife." Hugging her to him, he says to Shane. "Yeah, I've been neglecting her lately. I had to show her some love, you know?"

Angela scowls at him, rolling her eyes. "Shut up, Jordan!"

Still laughing, he says into the phone, "I gotta go, Shane. Thanks for calling me. Yeah, that's the best news I've gotten in a real long time. I'll talk to you later." Shutting off the phone, Jordan grabs Angela and pulls her on top of him, kissing her. After a full minute he pulls his lips from her and grins.

"Well, I guess you did get some good news. What's up?" She looks at him questioningly.

"They dropped the lawsuit. Just now, a little while ago." Laughing again, he shakes his head.

"Oh my god, Jordan! That's wonderful!" Throwing herself at him, she laughs with him.

He rolls her over and moves on top of her again. As he moves down to kiss her, they hear Justin cry in the other room.

Rolling his eyes, but still smiling, he rolls off of her. "I'll get him, you get a shower. We're going out tonight to celebrate."

Angela heads off to the bathroom as Jordan grabs his jeans from the floor, pulling them on as he heads to the nursery to get his son.

**BTW...I've gotten over 3000 hits on this story in one month. WOW...thank you! REVIEW, please! ~gagirl29**


	28. Spring Break

**Spring break**

**I own nothing...**

Angela, sitting in the family room of her new home, looks around at the people she loves. Spring break was coming to an end, which meant that in a few days everyone would be gone. Well, almost everyone. Maddie would still be there and Patty was staying for another week. Sharon, her twins and Jamie would all be heading back home to Three Rivers. And of course, Shane, Tommy and Deborah weren't going anywhere. They'd taken up residence in the garage apartment.

Angela VO: _I wish they could all stay. It's not like we don't have the room. I'm not ready for everyone to leave. It's too quiet when there's no one around. _

Hearing laughter from the children, Angela looks across the room to the new pool table. The pool table Maddie had asked for and Jordan, not denying his daughter anything, had drug Shane and Tommy with him to buy it. It had been delivered the day before. Maddie and Jamie were playing against Billy and Bobby. It sounded like they were all having a blast.

Patty was sitting over by the window, reading the current Sandra Brown novel, seemingly unaware of all the commotion around her. She looked relaxed and happy. Vacation was obviously agreeing with her.

Sharon and Shane were sitting together on the one end of the large sectional sofa that sat in the middle of the room. Heads together, holding hands, they seemed to be lost in their own little world. Not used to seeing them together, Angela chuckles.

Jordan, sitting beside her on the other end of the sofa, asks, "What's so funny?" He has his knees pulled up in front of him, propped on the coffee table. Justin, happily blowing bubbles and waving his arms and legs, is laying in Jordan's lap.

Smiling, Angela leans closer and tells him. "I was just watching Sharon and Shane. It's crazy. I never imagined that those two would end up together."

"I don't think it's so crazy. They've been dancing around each other for years. And anyway, she was married." Jordan tickles Justin, watching him smile, before looking back over to Angela. "You know Shane would never even go there."

"Yeah, I know, but it's still weird to me." She reaches over to take Justin's hand, smiling at her happy baby.

"Angela, they did hook up one other time, you know." Now, Jordan is the one who's chuckling. "And, how ironic. It was Spring break then, too."

"No way. When? I think I would have known about that!" Shaking her head, Angela continues to watch Sharon and Shane make eyes at each other.

"I don't know, Red. Maybe you had other things on your mind that night. It was when we all went up to the lake. The night Tino fell in the water." Jordan laughs, watching the expression of disbelief cross Angela's face.

_Friday afternoon, Spring Break, 1996_

After working all week, Jordan was ready to pick Angela up and head out to the lake. He was running a little late. His Uncle Jimmy had made him finish every damn car on the lot because he was taking tomorrow off. He had already stopped off at home to change into shorts and sneakers and to pack some clothes. His bag and his guitar were in the car.

He'd been working long hours and so had Angela. They'd only been able to steal a few hours here and there all week to be together. Spring break had not turned out as either of them had hoped.

All their friends were going to meet them up at the lake. Tino's uncle had a cabin that he was willing to let them use as long as they didn't trash it. Jordan knew that there would most likely be drinking and probably a little bit of pot smoking, as well. Not that he would be doing either. He'd been clean since the morning Angela asked him to quit.

Pulling up out front of the Chase house, Jordan cuts the engine and walks around to the back door. Knowing Angela, she probably wasn't even ready. Knocking once, he opens the door and walks in. He can hear the radio playing in her bedroom. Trying to be as quiet as possible, he sneaks up the stairs.

When he gets to her door, he can see her dancing around and singing along to the radio.

Her hair is wet, hanging down her back. All she has on is a towel. Enjoying the view, Jordan leans against the door jam and stands there watching her. When the song ends, she spins around and falls back on the bed. Grinning from ear to ear, Jordan clears his throat to get her attention.

With a squeal, Angela jumps up off the bed. "Jordan, what the hell? You scared me to death! How long have you been here?"

Jordan, laughing out loud, steps up to her, pulling her into his arms. "Only for a minute. You almost ready?" Bending down, he kisses her lips before moving his mouth down to her throat. "Mmmmm, you smell like strawberries."

Pulling from his embrace, she says, "It's my shampoo. And don't start that, we're already running late."

She walks around him to the closet, pulling out a tank top and jean shorts. Walking over to the dresser, she grabs a pair of panties and matching bra. Pushing him toward the door, she says, "Go down and put the stuff in the car. I'll meet you down there."

"Why can't I stay and watch you get dressed? It's not like I haven't seen you before." Grabbing her arm, he pulls her against him. "I won't touch, I promise."

"Oh, yes you will and then we'll be even later. You can wait."

"Angela Chase, you're no fun at all." He pretends to pout.

Laughing at him, she pushes him out the door and shuts it with him on the other side. Jordan heads back downstairs and starts carrying their stuff to the car. Angela had gathered blankets, pillows and sheets. She had grocery bags full of food and a cooler full of drinks. For only two days, it seemed like she'd packed an awful lot of stuff.

As he's coming back in the front door, she's coming down the stairs with her duffel bag on her shoulder and sandals in her hand. Taking the bag from her, he waits as she slips on her shoes. "You ready now? Are you sure we're taking enough stuff? 'Cause you know, we're only gonna be gone until Sunday."

"Well, I didn't want to forget anything. We gotta eat, don't we? And how many girls are actually gonna be there besides me, Sharon and Rayanne? Do you really think any of the guys are gonna be thinking about food? And we had to have clean sheets. And why not take my pillow? You don't know..." Jordan leans in to kiss her, stopping her in mid sentence.

Pulling back he smiles at her. "Ok, sorry I asked. Let's get going."

Angela locks the house up, following him out the door. Holding the door open for her, Jordan waits for her to get in before throwing her bag in the back. Sliding in behind the wheel, he starts the car and drives toward the lake.

When they arrive at Tino's uncle's cabin, it seems as if the party had started without them. Everyone is sitting around on the deck. Shane, Tommy and Tino are all holding a beer can in the hands. Rayanne, Ricky and Sharon were sitting together at the table, sipping on what looked to be frozen margaritas. Joey and his girlfriend were sitting together on the steps and there were a few girls that Jordan didn't recognize.

Calling up to the guys, Jordan asks them to help him unload the car. As the guys are bringing stuff in, Angela, Sharon, Rayanne and Ricky were inside putting everything away.

Although the cabin wasn't huge, it was a nice size. It had 3 bedrooms and a loft. Tino and Rayanne had claimed the master bedroom. Shane, Tommy and Joey had all agreed to share the loft. Sharon, who was supposed to come with Kyle but was now alone, said she would share a room with Ricky. That left the last room for Jordan and Angela. Sandy, Joey's girlfriend, and the other girls were going home later. There were sleeping bags and the sofa let out into a bed if anyone needed it.

After everything is brought inside and put away, everyone returns to the deck. Jordan sits down in a lounge chair and Angela sits in front of him, leaning back against his chest. Wrapping his arms around her, they settle into conversation with their friends. They talk about everything from school, to work, to siblings, to whatever comes up, laughing and joking the whole time.

As the afternoon turns into night, the guys decide to start a fire so they can roast hotdogs and marshmallows. Everyone pulls the chairs from the deck and arranges them around the fire. When the hotdogs are all gone, and everyone is settled in, Shane starts nagging Jordan to get his guitar from the car.

"How do you know I have my guitar, Shane? Maybe I didn't bring it." Jordan, content to just sit with Angela in his arms, doesn't want to get up.

"Bullshit, Catalano. I saw it in the car when we were carrying everything in. I'll go get it for you if you want." Shane doesn't wait for Jordan to answer, he takes off up the hill toward Jordan's car.

"Hey, you don't have to play just because Shane wants you to. I don't want to get up, anyway." Angela whispers to Jordan so only he can hear.

Kissing her on the cheek, he says to her, "It's ok, I don't mind. I may even sing you a song, if you want me to."

When Shane gets back with the guitar case, Angela moves over to sit beside Ricky on the blanket he has spread on the ground by the fire. Jordan takes the guitar out of the case, slipping the strap over his shoulder. Shane pulls a chair up next to Jordan and grabbing the sticks that they used to roast the hotdogs, starts beating out a tune on the side of the chair. Jordan picks up his tune and plays along with him.

For a little while, everyone sits around listening to Shane and Jordan. Tino starts singing along with their music, making words up as he goes. Rayanne soon joins in. Everyone is laughing and having a good time.

"Hey, Catalano, why don't you play our new song for them." Shane says, after taking a drink of his beer.

"I don't know, Shane. I don't think I'm done with it." Jordan pushes his hair from his eyes, glancing over at Angela.

Watching Jordan, Shane sees him look at Angela. "Come on, Jay. She's heard it before, hasn't she?"

"No, Shane, she hasn't. Drop it, will ya'?" Jordan idly strums the guitar.

Tommy, who had been sitting quietly looking into the fire, speaks up. "Go ahead, Jay. You know you're done with it."

Sighing loudly, Jordan starts playing. After a minute, he closes his eyes and starts to sing...

_What I leave,_  
><em>When you go,<em>  
><em>What I see,<em>  
><em>And what you show,<em>  
><em>And what I guess,<em>  
><em>And when I don't,<em>  
><em>Is something you all ready, all ready know,<em>

_I can't live without,_  
><em>All I think about,<em>  
><em>All I want is you,<em>  
><em>You're all I dream about,<em>  
><em>I can't live without,<em>  
><em>All I want is you,<em>

_The things I do,_  
><em>I go through,<em>  
><em>And all I say,<em>  
><em>When I'm away,<em>  
><em>And what I make,<em>  
><em>The shit that I take,<em>  
><em>Is something you all ready, all ready know<em>

_I can't live without,_  
><em>All I think about,<em>  
><em>All I want is you,<em>  
><em>You're all I dream about,<em>  
><em>I can't live without,<em>  
><em>All I want is you,<em>

_Ohhh,..._  
><em>Is you,<em>  
><em>Is you,<em>  
><em>Is you,<em>  
><em>Is you,<em>  
><em>You're all I dream about,<em>  
><em>That I can't live without,<em>  
><em>All I want is you<em>

_I can't live without,_  
><em>All I think about,<em>  
><em>All I want is you,<em>  
><em>You're all I dream about,<em>  
><em>I can't live without,<em>  
><em>All I want is you,<em>  
><em>I just can't live without you,<em>  
><em>When all I think about is you,<em>  
><em>And all I want is you<em>

When he opens his eyes and looks at Angela, she's looking back at him, smiling. Putting his guitar back in the case, he leans back in the chair and motions for her to come to him. Resuming her earlier position, leaning back against him, she snuggles close. Neither feel the need to say anything.

As the fire dies down, Jordan and Angela continue to sit in silence, completely absorbed in each other, as everyone around them jokes and laughs. Someone mentions that it's 11 pm. No one is ready for bed. Couples start to break off from the group.

Tino gets up, taking Rayanne by the hand and pulls her out onto the boat dock. Joey and Tommy walk Sandy and her friends up the hill to her car. Ricky, always feeling the odd man out, heads inside. Shane sits in his chair, looking into the fire and Sharon looks anywhere but at Shane. Still lounging in the chair, Jordan turns Angela in his arms and kisses her. Soon, that isn't enough for either of them.

Wanting to get her alone, Jordan pushes Angela out of his lap, following her up. Taking her by the hand, he starts walking toward the cabin. Calling goodnight to Shane and Sharon, who are still sitting by the campfire avoiding each other, they make their way up onto the deck. Just as they're about to walk through the door, they hear a big splash, followed by Rayanne's uncontrollable laughter.

"What the hell was that?" Jordan walks over to the edge of the deck and looks out in the darkness. He can barely make out the boat dock, but he sees Tino pulling himself up onto dock, soaking wet.

He can't help but laugh. "Hey, Tino! Did you decide to take a swim?" he calls down to his friend.

"Shut the hell up, Catalano! Graff's ass pushed me in!" Tino, now walking up onto the deck, dripping wet, heads over to Jordan and pulls him into a hug.

"Get off, Tino!" Jordan pushes him away.

Jordan grabs Angela by the hand and heads inside, followed by Tino and Rayanne, all of them laughing. None of them give Shane and Sharon a second thought.

**The song in this chapter is All I Want ~Staind. Now that I'm writing another Jordan/Angela story, I probably won't update this one as often...I promise to keep going as long as you guys want me to, but I'm enjoying bad Jordan a little too much right now to devote all my attention to good Jordan. LOL Thanks...and please continue to review! ~gagirl29**_  
><em>


	29. The sound of rain

**The sound of rain**

**I own nothing...Hope you enjoy!**

"Come on, Shane, you've got to do this. Tommy has already agreed." Jordan looks at Shane expectantly. "It's not like this is the first video we've ever done."

"I don't know, Jay. Have you read the script? Fighting, Bondage, S and M? We should have read up on this guy before we agreed to let him script our new video. I'm beginning to think he's crazy." Shane, sitting in Jordan's basement studio, picks up the papers and hands them back to him.

"What's wrong with it? It's just a video, it's not like it's real." Jordan can't understand why Shane is so hesitant. In one scene, Shane is riding his motorcycle. He thought he'd jump at the chance to ride his bike. And they'd used fight scenes in one of their other videos. Surely it can't be the sex part that was holding Shane back. "Why don't you want to do it?"

"I don't know. I just don't think it's a good idea." Looking at Jordan, he says, "What, you want to do it? How's that going to go over with Angela?"

"I think she'll be fine with it. It's just a video, right? And you don't have to be in any of the sex scenes. There are actresses for that." Jordan scratches his head.

"But, Jay, you do have to be in some of those scenes. Didn't you read all of it?" Shane shakes his head.

"Yeah, I read them. They're not that bad." Jordan, sighing loudly, looks up at Shane. "I don't have a problem with it. Tommy doesn't have a problem. What's your problem?"

"I just have a bad feeling about it. I guess if you aren't worried about it, then I shouldn't be. Tell them we can start filming when I get back." Shutting off his laptop, Shane packs it and his papers into it's case. "I gotta go, man. I'm gonna fly to Three Rivers for a few days."

"You and Sharon are getting pretty serious, aren't you?" Jordan knows what all Shane has been through and he's happy for his friend. "You've been to Three Rivers twice since she was out here last month."

"Yeah, I think so. It started out just for fun, but I really do like her, Jay. She's had a rough time of it lately, too. Now I know why I never liked Kyle. He's a real dick." Shane heads up the stairs, Jordan following behind. "I should be back by Wednesday. Call if anything comes up."

As Shane walks through the family room, Angela is coming down the stairs. Stopping to hug her, he says, "I'll see you in a few days. I'm heading to the airport. Need me to bring anything from Three Rivers? I can always run by the house if you need me to."

"No, I don't think so. Just enjoy yourself. Give Sharon and the boys a hug for me." Kissing his cheek, she watches as he walks to the door.

Jordan walks into the kitchen, Angela right behind him. "I thought we could have a salad for lunch. Is that ok with you?" Seeing her nod, Jordan walks over to the refrigerator and starts pulling out vegetables. "Where are the kids? Justin's not sleeping again is he? That's all he ever does."

"No, he and Maddie are playing in the nursery. He's getting up on his hands and knees now, not quite crawling, but he wants to. She's moving just out of his reach, trying to make him come to her. It won't be long before we're chasing him around the house. It's hard to believe he's six months old, isn't it?" Angela, wanting to help, takes out the cutting board and a knife before starting to dice tomatoes.

"How's Maddie doing with her tutor? Do you think it's working for her? She has what, two weeks left before she'd be out for Summer anyway?" As Jordan is talking, he's washing the lettuce, pulling it apart.

"She's doing fine. She'll be right on track when she starts back to school in the fall. I think she's enjoying this time with us. This has been like a vacation." Angela, now slicing a cucumber, pops a slice in her mouth.

Jordan VO: _Ok, so I need to tell her about the video. She'll understand, right? It's just acting. It's not like I'd do something like that for real. She knows the difference._

"Hey, Shane and I were reading over the script for the new video. He seemed to think you'd have a problem with some of it. I told him you wouldn't, that you'd understand it was just a video, right?" Now chewing on his thumb, Jordan leans back against the counter and watches Angela grate cheese.

"Why, what's in it that I would object to?" As she continues to grate the cheese, she looks up at him. "I've seen all the other videos. It's no big deal."

"Well, there are some sex scenes in this one. But there will be actors and actresses." Still chewing his thumb, Jordan turns back to the fridge, pulling out the salad dressing and the leftover grilled chicken. Passing the chicken to Angela. "This Cubbins guy Deborah found to write the script got a little crazy. He wrote in a little bondage and other kinky shit, like that."

"Will you have to take your shirt off in it?" Winking at him, Angela says, "You know I don't mind seeing your hot body. 'From Yesterday' is my favorite of all the one's you've done so far."

Stopping to kiss her on the cheek, Jordan heads to the pantry to get the croutons. "Yeah, I'll have to take my shirt off. I think my shirt is off in the whole video, actually. And he wants me to bleach my hair and cut it. Some kind of crazy mullet, but he says only for some of the scenes. Halfway through the shoot, he says I have to cut it short and dye it back to dark brown. At one point, he has me jumping out of a window, from like 30 stories up. He has some weird ideas, but I hear he's good. He's won several awards."

"Jordan, I'm sure it will be fine. Tell Shane I'm ok with it. If it's a Residue video, it will be amazing." Grabbing some bowls from the cabinet, she serves up the salad. "Run get the kids, will ya'? I'll grab a jar of sweet potatoes for Justin and he can eat while we eat."

Jordan VO:_ See, Shane was worried for nothing. I knew she'd understand. _

Jordan walks up the stairs, humming. When he gets to the door of the nursery, he slowly pushes it open, just enough so he can see inside. Maddie is on her stomach, Justin just in front of her on all fours. With Maddie encouraging him, Justin pushes forward with his knees and moves his hands out in front of him. Maddie picks up his Teddy bear and holds it up to him.

"Come on, Bubby. Come get the bear. You can do it. You're getting to be such a big boy." She teases him with the bear, moving it close to him and then pulling it away.

Jordan watches as Justin moves one knee, then the other, making his way to Maddie and his bear. Chuckling, he gets Maddie's attention. "Hey, Dad. Did you see him? He's crawling!"

Dropping down on the floor beside them, he says, "I did see him, Mad. Good job! You really got him to do it, didn't you?

Smiling at her dad, she says, "Yeah, I've been trying to get him to do it for a few days. He's a quick learner."

Ruffling her hair, Jordan leans over to hug her. "Mom's got your lunch ready. Wash up before you head down, ok?" She gets up and heads to the door. "Tell Mom I'll be down in a minute."

Jordan picks Justin up from the floor, hugging him. "I saw you, big guy. You're going to be all over the place in no time."

Jordan lays the baby down on the changing table, getting a fresh diaper and baby powder. Unsnapping Justin's onesie, he quickly changes and powders him before snapping him back up. Holding Justin on his hip, he makes his way back downstairs. Passing Justin off to Angela, he washes his hands while she gets the baby strapped in his high chair.

Sitting down at the table, Jordan looks around at his family, a smile on his face.

* * *

><p>A few weeks later, Jordan, Shane and Tommy were standing around, watching the actresses hired to be in the girl on girl sex scenes, film take after take. It seemed to be hard for all the guys in the room not to watch.<p>

"Damn, guys. It doesn't look like they're acting, does it?" Tommy actually looks away. "I feel wrong just watching this."

Laughing, Shane says to him, "Whatever. You know you like it. You wish you could join them, don't you?" Not even bothering to look away, he says to Jordan, "I hope your scenes don't look this convincing. If he pushes you like this, you may have to beg Angela for forgiveness."

"No, shit. This is hot. I think I need to go home for a little while." Looking across at the bed the actresses are using, Jordan shakes his head, laughing.

"Damn, Catalano. You need to go take a cold shower?" Tommy laughs with them.

"How come I'm the only one who has to do this? Why couldn't either of you do it?" Jordan turns his back to the girls. "It's not fair."

"Because you're the prettiest out of us all. And you're the singer, so it makes sense. Just think about Angela the whole time and you'll be fine." Shane, eyes glued to the bed, punches Jordan in the arm.

"Are you trying to get me killed? I can't think about her while I'm doing this. I need to think about car engines or something. There's no way I could think about Angela and do that without embarrassing myself." Jordan hears Cubbins tell the girls he got what he wanted, that they were done.

Jordan VO:_ Damn, why did I agree to this? I'm gonna get myself in so much trouble. Maybe she won't watch the video. Yeah, right. She said it wasn't a big deal. Come on, Catalano, just get it over with._

Jordan watches as the production crew changes the sheets on the bed and brings out some of the props for his scenes. The actress playing across from him, a pretty dark-skinned girl with long dark hair walks into the room wearing nothing but her bra, panties, knee-high stockings and heels. He starts to run his finger through his hair before realizing his hair is short again.

Sighing, he turns to Shane. "Man, what the hell was I thinking? Angela is going to have a heart attack when she sees this shit." Pulling his phone out, Jordan debates with himself about calling Angela to tell her what's going on.

After a few minutes, he decides to text her. "_Thinking of you. Busy morning at the video shoot. Love you, babe. ~J."_

Taking off his shirt, he walks over to his _partner _and introduces himself. He sits on the bed, waiting for the director to tell him what to do. He keeps his composure until he looks over to see the props he'll be using. Handcuffs, whip, gag and blind fold.

"Shit, I know this isn't going to turn out good," he mumbles to himself. Just when he's about to get up and call it all off, Cubbins comes over to him to discuss the first take. Jordan sucks it up and gets started.

When the guys finally make it home that night, it's around 10 pm, and it's raining. Jordan, who hadn't said much of anything since they left the studio, shut the car off and got out. Tommy and Shane grab their stuff from the car and head toward the steps leading to their apartment, yelling "Good night" along the way. Jordan, grabbing his things, slowly makes his way to the front door. Walking in, he lays his keys on the table, and his bag on the floor. Everything is quiet, so he assumes everyone is already in bed.

Not ready to face Angela just yet, he sits at the bar in the kitchen, with his head in his hands. Today had been a long day. After what seemed like several hundred takes, he was finished shooting his sex scenes. As much as he hated it, he couldn't completely detach himself from it. He had tried, much to the displeasure of his crazy ass director. He was feeling guilty as hell because by the end of it, he was even convincing himself that he wanted the girl.

He knew it was just acting. He knew, other than a few kisses, a few very hot kisses, that he had done nothing wrong. Even so, Angela had been the only girl he'd kissed since they got together. It felt wrong. Not to mention some of the things he had to do. He never removed his pants, not once, but he still felt like he'd cheated somehow.

"God damn it," he says out loud. Getting up, grabbing a soda from the refrigerator, he heads down to the pool. Maybe if he swims a few laps, he'll calm down enough to face her.

Stripping down to his boxers, he jumps in the deep end. Swimming from one end of the pool to the other, over and over again for half an hour did nothing to change his mood. Jumping out, he grabs a towel and wraps it around him. Collecting his clothes, he heads back upstairs.

Going up to their bedroom, Jordan walks in to find Angela sitting up in the bed with Justin asleep in her arms. Nodding to her, he tries to slip into the bathroom. She calls out to him. "Hey. I thought I heard you come in. How did filming go?"

Ducking his head, he says, "It was fine. I'm gonna jump in the shower." Not giving her a chance to say anything else, he shuts the door behind him.

Stripping his wet underwear off, he turns the shower on and steps underneath the warm spray. Trying not to think about the dark-haired girl and hand cuffs, he doesn't succeed. Groaning, he turns the water to cold. For several minutes, he lets the cold water run over his hot body. Grabbing the soap, he quickly washes himself before rinsing and shutting off the water.

Pulling the towel from the shelf just outside the shower, he dries off. When he moves to the sink, he brushes his teeth. Still thinking about those kisses with a girl other than Angela, he brushes his teeth again before rising his mouth with Listerine, gargling for an extra long time.

When there's nothing else to do in the bathroom to kill time, he gathers his dirty clothes and towel, dropping them in the hamper. Opening the door to the bedroom, he sees that Angela isn't in the room. He moves over to the dresser, pulling out a pair of boxers, slipping them on.

He is just getting in the bed when Angela returns without Justin. "Hey, are you ok? It seems like you have something on your mind?"

Jordan, not wanting to go there with her, says, "I'm ok, just tired I guess. It's been a long day." Turning on his side facing the wall, he pulls that covers up over him.

Angela slides up next to him, putting her arm around him from behind. "So all the filming done? Now they just have to edit it?"

"Uh, yeah. We finished all our scenes. Good night, babe." Jordan, with his back to Angela, doesn't see the confused look on her face. He never goes to sleep without kissing her good night.

Not saying anything else to him, Angela removes her arm and turns over to face the other direction. Reaching over to turn off the lamp, she sighs. In a few minutes, she's asleep.

Jordan, still wide awake listening to the rain hit the window, can't stop thinking about everything that happened that day. He knows nothing good will come of it, not where Angela is concerned. He keeps telling himself he did nothing wrong, but it still feels like he betrayed her in some way. Turning over to face her, he pulls her back against him, wrapping his arm around her. Burying his face in her hair, he pushes everything else out of his head.

"I love you, Angela," he whispers to her, just before he falls asleep.

**TBH, I was running out of ideas for this story, but I think I've gotten back on track with it. I'm having fun writing BOTH stories at the same time. I'm trying not to get them mixed up... Let me know what you think. REVIEW! ~gagirl29**


	30. Things aren't always what they seem

**Things aren't always what they seem**

**I own nothing...**

Opening the refrigerator, Angela reaches in and removes a bottle of formula to heat for Justin. It's six o'clock in the morning, almost time for Justin to wake. He's like a little alarm clock. At 7 months old, he sleeps all night long, but he's an early riser. Rubbing her eyes, she grabs a cup from the cabinet, running hot water into it. Placing the bottle down in the cup of hot water, she leans against the counter to wait for it to warm.

Angela VO: _What's wrong with Jordan? Why has he been acting so strange lately? He's been really moody, too. Maybe it's just the stress from the new album and shooting the new video. He's probably just got a lot on his mind. _

Pulling the bottle from the water, she tests it on the inside of her wrist. Taking the bottle with her, she heads upstairs to the nursery. When she opens the door, Justin is laying on his stomach awake. Seeing his mom, he starts kicking his feet.

"Good morning, sweetie. Are you ready to get up?" Angela picks Justin up and hugs him to her before moving over to the changing table to change his diaper, talking to him the whole time. When he has a clean diaper on, she picks him up and carries him to the rocking chair to feed him.

This time of morning with Justin has become her favorite part of the day. She sits with him in her arms, feeding him his bottle. It all seems so peaceful. The baby is happy, content to be held. It's almost like she can forget the tension between her and Jordan.

Jordan has been staying in the studio longer and longer each day. He comes out only to eat lunch and then for dinner before heading back downstairs. A few times, he's taken the day off and taken Maddie out or drove into LA to meet with the record company, but mostly he stays holed up with Shane and Tommy.

He skips breakfast, usually heading downstairs while Angela is in the nursery with Justin. If they pass in the hall, he'll give her a quick kiss, before moving on. If they're in the same room, he'll talk to her, but it seems like he really isn't interested. At night, when they're in the bed, he lies facing away from her until she goes to sleep. Sometimes when she wakes at night, his arms are around her.

Justin finishes his bottle. Angela moves him up to her shoulder burping him. Sitting him in her lap, she continues to rock him. "Justin, don't grow up on me, ok? I want you to stay like this. You're so uncomplicated right now." Sighing, she's rubs her hand over his hair.

* * *

><p>Jordan can hear Angela in the nursery talking to Justin. Already dressed, he makes his way downstairs to start a pot of coffee. As he's measuring coffee grounds into the filter, he hears Shane come in the back door.<p>

"Mornin', Jay." Shane walks over to sit at the bar. "What time are they premiering the video today?" Grabbing an apple from the bowl in the middle of the counter, Shane takes a bite.

"They're gonna premiere it this afternoon on MTV's website. They're gonna do it live at 5 pm Eastern, which means it will be 2 pm here. Keep it down, would ya'? I don't want Angela to hear you." Jordan fills the coffee pot with water.

Giving Jordan a strange look, Shane says, "What? Why does it matter if Angela hears me? You told her about the video, didn't you?"

"Of course I told her. I'm just not sure how she's going to react. I mean, you saw the shoot, right? What did it look like to you?" Turning back to Shane, Jordan leans against the counter.

"Look, Jordan. I told you this wasn't a good idea. You said it would be fine." Shane shakes his head. "You should have thought about this before we did it."

"Don't you think I know that, Shane? Hell, I didn't even do anything and I feel guilty as hell. I know she can tell something's wrong. She hasn't come out and said it, but she's wondering." Shoving both hands through his hair, Jordan sighs loudly. "I just have a really bad feeling about this. You know what it looks like. She's going to see the same thing. I may have kept my pants on, but it doesn't matter. Those fucking kisses were real and I did a whole lot of touching. She's going to flip out."

"Jordan, it was acting. Why do you feel guilty?" Shane, getting up and walking to the fridge, pulls out a bottle of water. Walking back to the bar, he takes his seat. "If that's how you feel, you need to talk to her today. Prepare her for it. Don't let her stumble across it on her own."

Jordan looks down and the floor, biting on his thumb. "I shouldn't have done it, Shane. I can't undo it now."

Jordan VO: _She's gonna freak. I know she is. It doesn't matter if I tell her or not, she's going to freak. How am I supposed to look her in the eye and tell her I did nothing wrong when I feel like I did?_

Both Shane and Jordan look up when they hear Angela coming down the stairs, Justin on her hip. Neither knows what to say. Angela carries Justin over to the high chair, strapping him in. "Good morning. You guys want breakfast? I can cook something." Looking from Jordan to Shane, she waits for one of them to answer.

Shane is the first to speak. "That's ok, Ang. I just had an apple, I'm good." Getting up, Shane kisses Angela's cheek and ruffles Justin's hair. "I'm going to head down to the studio. Jay, remember what I said." Shane grabs his water and opens the door to the basement, disappearing inside.

Walking over to Jordan, Angela leans in for a kiss. He quickly kisses her lips before pulling back. Standing in front of him, she puts her hands on her hips. "Jordan, what's wrong? Why've you been acting like this? Did I do something?"

Looking up at her, he says, "No. You didn't do anything." He turns from her, reaching in the cabinet for a cup. "You want some coffee?"

"No, I don't. I want you to talk to me." Growling in frustration, she moves over to the pantry grabbing a jar of baby food for Justin. "I'm tired of getting the silent treatment."

After pouring himself a cup of coffee, Jordan walks toward the basement door, not saying a word to her. She steps in front of him. "What? You should just tell me. I'm not going to let it go."

"Babe, I've just got a lot going own. The album comes out in 3 weeks, and we've got to finish up a few things. The video is premiering this afternoon online. I'm a little nervous about it. It's not like any of our other videos. I'm worried about what people will think." Leaning down, he kisses her on the cheek. "I'll get over it. Just give me some time, ok?" Not waiting for her to answer, he reaches around her and pulls the door open. He doesn't look at her as he steps around her and starts down the stairs, pulling the door closed behind him.

* * *

><p>Just before two o'clock that afternoon, Jordan, Shane and Tommy were sitting in the studio, Jordan's laptop sitting in front of them. Jordan is slouched down in his chair, biting on his thumb. He hadn't said much all day, just kind of sat around, brooding. His hair was standing on end due to the many many times he'd ran his hands through it.<p>

"Jordan, did you talk to Angela this morning?" Shane asks, looking at him.

"No." Jordan looks down at the floor.

"Why not? Man, if you're this worried about it and they haven't even shown it, then you should have talked to her." Sighing in frustration, Shane kicks Jordan's chair.

"I know, Shane. But what was I supposed to say? Nothing I say will make this better. You know her. You know how she's going to react. I should have put a stop to this before it started." Leaning over, Jordan puts his head in his hands.

"Jay, it was acting. You didn't do anything wrong." Tommy speaks up. "You told her there would be sex scenes, didn't you? What more could you have said to her?"

"Hell, I don't know. Maybe that I was kissing a very young, very sexy girl who had hardly anything on? That I was feeling all over her? Maybe I should have told her that I was so turned on by it that I thought about going there? Do you think any of those statements would have gotten me anywhere?" Standing up, Jordan walks over and leans his head back against the wall.

"Come, Catalano. Get your shit together and come watch this." Tommy pulls Jordan's chair closer to the desk.

Jordan takes his seat, propping his elbows up and resting his chin in his hands. "I have a really bad feeling about this. And there's not a damn thing I can do about it now."

* * *

><p>Angela had just laid Justin down for his afternoon nap. Maddie was in her room watching TV. Grabbing a bag of chips from the pantry and a soda from the refrigerator, she settled down on the sofa with her laptop on her lap. Residue's video was about to premiere and she didn't want to miss it.<p>

She loved all of their videos. She was very proud of Jordan. She was proud of Shane and Tommy, too. Seeing their videos, watching them on the TV, or in this case, the internet, was exciting. They'd come a long way from the days of the loft.

Logging on, she types in the web address and waits for MTV to pull up. Following the link, she waits for the live feed to start. As she waiting, she opens her chips and pops the top on her soda. After taking a drink, she sits the can on the table beside her. She puts a chip in her mouth, just as the VJ starts the introduction, a photo of the guys on the screen behind him.

"_Here's the moment we've all been waiting for. We're about to release the video for the first single off of Residue's long awaited third album. At one point, these guys weren't even sure there was going to be a third album. I think I speak for everyone when I say we're glad there is. _

_This video has already gotten a lot of attention, and it hasn't even been released for public viewing. We received it a few days ago, and let me just say, WOW. This video is HOT. It's so hot that we won't be able to air it before 9 pm on the network. If you want to see it before then, you'll have to log on and watch it here on the website._

_They hired acclaimed director Bart Cubbins to script and direct this visual masterpiece. Cubbins, known for pushing the envelope, has really outdone himself with this one. The guys in the band all have active parts, so pay attention. _

_We have to warn you, there is some violence and a whole lot of sex. So without further delay, here is Residue's new video, Hurricane."_

Angela watches as the opening credits of the video roll across the screen. Not really knowing what to expect, she munches on her chips and watches as the scenes unfold. Tommy in the subway, Shane on his bike, Jordan laying in bed.

She watches as a blonde Jordan jumps out the window and as Tommy kisses a girl and then pulls a key from his mouth. Then she watches as Shane wrecks his bike and a girl gets up from the street, stabbing him before slipping a key around his neck.

As she's watching, they show a girl with long dark hair on her knees. Jordan comes into the shot, putting a leather blindfold over her eyes. As this scene starts to unfold, all Angela can do is stare. For the next few minutes, she pays attention to nothing but the scenes with Jordan and this girl. She sees the two girls together, and the blonde twins, and everything else, but she really watches the scenes with Jordan.

All she can see is her husband touching this girl, running his hands over her. She sees him kissing her and licking her, squeezing her. She watches as he spanks her then as he moves over the top of her. She watches as he takes her mouth in his and kisses her. She watches his face.

She keeps telling herself that it's acting, but it doesn't look like acting to her. It looks very real. As the video ends, Angela closes the laptop, slowly laying it on the coffee table in front of her. She feels sick to her stomach. Knowing what she saw, trying to tell herself to calm down, that it was all fake, she gets up from the sofa and walks over to look out the window toward the forest.

Angela VO: _He told me about this, didn't he? I knew he was shooting those scenes. It all looked so real. I need to talk to him, to see his face. I need for him to tell me it was all an act. Then I'll be ok. _

She hears the door to the basement open. Tommy walks out, followed by Shane. They both give her a questioning look. Something on her face must have shown what she was feeling because Shane walks up to her, taking her hands.

"Angela, you watched it, didn't you?" Looking at her, seeing the tears form in her eyes, he says to her, "Ang, it was just acting. Don't do this."

"Shane, if that was acting, then he's been _acting _with me for a lot of years." She pulls one hand loose and wipes her eyes.

Tommy walks over to stand beside Shane and Angela. "Angela, just talk to him. He's sitting down there, kicking himself over this."

"Tommy, I plan to talk to him. I just need a minute to compose myself." Turning back toward the window, Angela pulls her other hand from Shane, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Ang, I promise you, no matter what it looked like, he didn't do anything with that girl. We were there the whole time." Tommy puts his hand on her arm. "Don't beat him up too bad over this, he's done enough of that for both of you."

When she turns to look at Tommy, there are tears steaming down her face. "Tommy, it looked so real. All of it. The whole video was amazing. You guys did a wonderful job." Sniffling, she continues. "I saw the look on his face. I saw how he touched her, I saw how he kissed her. In my head I keep telling myself he was acting, he was doing it for the camera. I just can't convince myself that it was all an act. He looked at her the way he looks at me. Or the way he used to look at me."

Shane says to her, "Angela, he was acting. He was only doing what the director told him to. We watched them do take after take of that shit. They made him do it over and over again. They kept telling him that he wasn't doing it right, that it wasn't convincing enough. He hated it."

"I didn't look like he hated it. It looked like he was enjoying it." Staring at Shane and Tommy, her husband's two best friends, listening to them defend him, she laughs. "Of course you guys would defend him. Why wouldn't you?"

"Angela, we're defending him because he didn't do anything wrong. Since the day he filmed that, he's been moody as hell, moping around all the time. He hates himself for it. By the time he gave them the footage they wanted, he felt like he had betrayed you. That's why he's been acting the way he has."

"I had no idea what was going on. It never occurred to me that it had anything to do with the video. I thought he just had a lot on his mind." Using her sleeve, Angela wipes her eyes again.

Shane pulls her into a hug. "Angela, you guys are like family to me. I hate to see you hurting like this. Both of you are miserable right now. I know how it looked, but think of it from his perspective. Since he got with you, he hasn't even looked at another woman. All he did was kiss her and touch her because that's what the script called for and he feels like he cheated on you."

"Trust us, Ang. If you feel like shit, he feels worse. He loves you. He would never cheat on you." Tommy stands there with his arms crossed, as he watches her cry. "If he had wanted to cheat on you, he's had many chances over the years. He's always had girls throwing themselves at him, but he's never given them a second thought."

None of them notice that Jordan had come upstairs. He'd been standing on the top step, listening to his friends defend him, listening to Angela doubt him. "Guys, I appreciate you defending me, but I need to talk to my wife alone."

Shane hugs Angela and then Tommy hugs her, before letting themselves out the back door. Angela and Jordan stand staring at each other from across the room.

**Ok, so tell me...for those of you who're reading both of my stories, which one do you want me to spend more time on? I plan to continue to update both stories, but if I continue to update as frequently as I have, I can only concentrate on one of them. If ever there is a time to review, now would be that time. Thanks... ~gagirl29**


	31. How it looked

**How it looked**

**I own nothing...Since the majority of you seemed to want me to update this one first, here it is. :)**

_April 1995_

Angela, in a hurry, is running down the steps. She's late for third period biology again. As she reaches the landing, the person in front of her stops short and she runs into them. All the books and papers in her arms go flying.

Angela VO:_ This is just great. I'm late for class, my report is now being trampled on and I don't see my biology book. And where is Jordan? Can this day get any worse? _

Angela had woke up late. She'd forgotten to get breakfast. Danielle had been a major pain, not wanting to share the bathroom. She'd almost missed the bus, remembering just in time that Jordan wasn't picking her up this morning. Krakow had stared at her all the way to school, making her feel uncomfortable.

Not having seen Jordan since Friday, she was looking for his car in the parking lot when she got off the bus, but didn't see it. In the weeks since they'd gotten back together, his car had always been there when she went looking for it. Walking into the school by herself, she had headed straight for homeroom.

Since all of her friends were pretty much mad at her for choosing Jordan over Rayanne and Brian, she didn't hang out with them in the bathroom as much anymore. Already having a bad day, she goes out of her way to avoid them by going to the bathroom on the north hall. She was paying for it now. There was no way she was going to make it to class on time.

Watching helplessly as everyone walks on her work, kicking her books around, she leans against the window to wait for the halls to clear out. When almost everyone has went to class and she can actually see her things, she bends over and starts to pick everything up. As she spies her biology book in the corner, she bends down to pick it up just as someone else bends to get it.

As she straightens, she looks up to see Corey holding her book. Giving him a smile, she takes her it as he holds it out.

"Hey, Angela. Have an accident?" Looking around, he takes notice of the papers still strewn about.

"Thanks, Corey. Yeah, I was in a hurry and I bumped into someone coming down the steps. All my stuff went flying." As Corey bends to help her pick up her papers, the tardy bell rings.

"Great. Now I've made you late for class, too." Sighing loudly, she tucks her hair behind her ear. "Today has not been a good day so far."

Laughing, Corey holds her papers out to her. "No worries. I'll just head to the office and get a late pass."

Since Angela had to go to the office for a pass, she falls in step beside him. "Thanks again, Corey. I appreciate your help. I think I stood there for like 5 minutes watching people kick my stuff around."

"It was no problem." They continue down the hall toward the office, an awkward silence settling over them.

Just before they reach the office, Angela puts her hand out to stop him. "Corey, I just wanted to say, I'm sorry for what I did. There was no excuse for it."

"Angela, you don't have to apologize. I understand. Ricky explained to me about what happened." Smiling down at her, he nudges her arm. "No hard feelings, I promise."

Tucking her hair behind her ear, Angela looks up at Corey, giving him a smile in return. "That's a relief. I really felt bad afterward. I was in a bad place back then, you know." Not seeing Jordan, who had just walked out of the office with his tardy slip, Angela takes Corey's hand, giving it a squeeze. "That makes me feel better."

Corey, holding her hand in his for a second, says to her, "Catalano is a lucky guy."

Still smiling, they both drop their hands to their sides before turning back to the office. Finally noticing Jordan, Angela stops in her tracks. Corey nods to Jordan and continues on into the office. Angela and Jordan stand across the hall staring at each other.

Seeing the dark look on his face, Angela takes a deep breath and walks up to him. "Hey. Where were you this morning? I was looking for you."

At first, Jordan doesn't say anything. For a long time, he just stands there looking down at her. When he finally speaks, he says, "I had something to do. I'm late for class. Later." He turns and walks the other way without a backward glance.

Angela VO: _Crap. This day just got worse. I can only imagine what he's thinking. This isn't going to go well._

After watching Jordan walk down the hall, she turns and walks in to the office.

* * *

><p>Jordan spends most of the day avoiding Angela. He'd had a shitty weekend, followed up by a shitty morning. He'd fought with Tony all weekend because he had went into Jordan's room and taken what little money Jordan had stashed. Tony said it was to pay the electric bill, but Jordan knew better. His dad had sat at home all weekend, getting wasted.<p>

He'd been late to school that morning because he'd spent the night at the loft so he wouldn't have hear his dad's mouth. He'd waited until Tony was gone before he went home to shower and change. He'd already been in a foul mood, but then he walked out of the office to see Angela smiling up at Corey and then he saw Corey touch her. Then Angela took his hand.

He hadn't been close enough to hear what they were saying, but he hadn't needed to. They were both standing in the hall, late for class and flirting with each other. Not wanting to deal with it, he'd left her standing there. He'd avoided her locker, skipped out with Tino for lunch and only returned for Katimski's class.

As he walks in, he could see her sitting in her seat. He walked by without making eye contact with her. Instead of taking his usual seat behind her, he goes all the way to the far back corner of the room.

As he sits, half listening to Katimski talk about the play the weekend before and the turn out they got, he watches Angela. She sits slouched in her seat with her chin propped on her hand. Her notebook is open in front of her. She doesn't seem to be paying attention, either. She just stares at one of the posters on the wall. Jordan puts his head down on the desk and for the rest of the class he pretends to sleep.

When the bell rings, he walks by her desk, brushing her arm. When she looks up, he doesn't say anything, he just motions for her to follow him. Walking into the hall, he leans against the wall and waits for her. Coming out of the room, she gives him a nervous look. Tucking her hair behind her ear, she bites her lip and stands in front of him.

Taking her backpack from her, he starts walking toward the side door. He doesn't wait for her to follow because he knows she will. After he walks outside, he heads toward his car. Opening the passenger door, he tosses his book and her backpack in the seat. Shutting the door, he turns and leans back against it.

Frowning, he looks at her standing a few feet away, nervously chewing on her bottom lip. "Angela, what the hell was that?"

He watches as she reaches up to tuck the hair that is already behind her ear. "It was nothing, Jordan. I swear."

Crossing his arms over his chest, he clenches his jaw. "I didn't look like nothing."

"I was running late to class. We ran into each other, that's all." She's looking at the ground, nervously pulling at the hem of her shirt.

"When I walked out of the office, you were holding his hand." Moving his hand to his mouth, Jordan starts chewing on his thumb.

Now looking up at him, Angela is shaking her head. "No, Jordan. I wasn't holding his hand." She takes a step toward him. "I dropped my stuff on the stairs. He stopped to help me pick it up. We walked to the office together because we were both late."

"I saw you holding his hand. And you were smiling at him." Turning away, Jordan sighs. "Have you been talking to him again?"

"What? God, no. Jordan, I swear. He helped me. I was thanking him. You saw me squeeze his hand, but I wasn't holding it." About to cry, Angela ducks her head. "I wouldn't do that to you."

Smirking, Jordan says, "You did it before. The first day I don't make it to school on time, I come in to find you touching him and smiling at him. What do you expect me to think?"

"God, we weren't even together then. And I expect you to trust me. I don't flip out every time a girl comes near you." Walking closer to him, Angela puts her hand on his arm where it's crossed over his chest. "Jordan, I stopped him just outside the office so I could like apologize to him or whatever."

"Apologize for what?" Looking down into her face, he searches her eyes. Something in her expression makes him relax. He drops his hands down to his side. "Imagine what it looked like to me."

"That was the first time I've talked to Corey since the day I found out about you and Rayanne. I was very upset that day. I tried to kiss him, but he pushed me away. I was apologizing to him." Closing her eyes, she continues. "He told me not to worry about it. He said that you were a lucky guy."

"What? You tried to kiss him? When were you going to tell me that?" Shoving his hands in his pockets, Jordan turns his back to Angela. "That's just fucking great!"

Reaching out to him, Angela puts her hands on his sides. "Jordan, you can't get mad about that. Nothing happened." Laying her forehead against his back, she says, "It doesn't matter anyway. Corey doesn't like me."

Stiffening, Jordan says, "How the hell do you know he doesn't like you?"

Very softly, she says, "Because I'm not a guy."

Jordan spins around quickly, catching Angela off guard. He has to grab her arms to keep her from falling. "What did you say?"

"I said, Corey likes guys. He and Ricky have been seeing each other." Seeing that blank look come across Jordan's face, Angela smiles up at him. "Didn't know that, did you?"

Frowning back at her, he says, "Damn it, Angela. I've been going through hell all day thinking you liked him. You could have told me that before now."

Stepping into him, she moves up and kisses him on the chin. "I didn't tell you because it's none of our business. Besides, I haven't been speaking to Ricky too much lately. He is friends with Brian and Rayanne, too."

He wraps his arms around her, turning so that he's leaning back on the door with her against his chest. She slips her arms around his waist. "This is all still new to me, you know? I was jealous as hell. I'm sorry. I guess I shouldn't have like got all mad."

Giggling, she says, "You were jealous? Jordan, you have nothing to worry about."

Kissing her on top of the head, he pulls her closer. "Yes, I was jealous. It's not funny. I came out of the office and my girl was holding hands with another guy." Rocking from side to side, he says, "And from now own, you aren't allowed to smile at any other guy."

She huffs and tries to pull out of his arms. "Jordan! You can't tell me that. How am I not supposed to smile?"

Laughing, he lets her go, only to steal a kiss. "I was just messing with you." Reaching up he tucks her hair back before caressing her cheek. "I just keep thinking you're gonna wise up and get rid of me."

Rolling her eyes, she says, "Jordan, I finally got you. I don't plan to get rid of you anytime soon." She moves her arms up around his neck and pulls him down to her. Just before she kisses his lips, she whispers, "I love you."

Slipping his hands down to her hips, he pulls her against him again. Deepening the kiss, he nips at her lips before pushing his tongue inside her mouth. For several minutes they stand against his car, lost in each other. Neither of them notice that the bell had rang and students were piling out of the building. They don't break apart until Shane plops down on the hood of the car beside them.

Clearing his throat, Shane laughs as they break apart. "You guys are so fucking cute!"

Angela, blushing, buries her face against Jordan's chest. Angela mumbles, "Shane, you're an idiot."

Jordan shakes his head. Laughing he bends over and whispers so only she can hear. "I love you, too, Red."

When she goes to pull away, he holds her in place. Shifting her in his arms so that she's facing Shane but still leaning against his chest, he and Shane start talking about practice. After a while, Shane jumps down from the hood of the car and says he'll see them later.

Jordan tilts Angela's head back and kisses her softly. She looks into his eyes. "Promise me something?"

"Anything, babe." Taking a piece of her hair, he twirls it around his finger.

"Promise me if something like this happens again, we'll talk about." She bites her lip.

"I promise you."

Running her finger under the edge of his collar, she says, "But we have to learn to trust each other, too. You've got to know that I wouldn't cheat on you, right?"

Laying his forehead against hers, he sighs. "I know, but I guess I'm still scared that this is going to fall apart."

"We won't let it." She hugs him tight before letting him go. "I need to get home. I'm supposed to be watching Danielle this afternoon. If we leave now, we can still beat the bus."

Opening the door, Jordan stands back as she climbs inside. Smiling, he walks to the driver side and gets in.

**So...how many of you are ticked because I left you hanging again? LOL I'll make it up to you! REVIEW, please! :) ~gagirl29**


	32. The moment to fight

**The moment to fight**

**I own nothing... **

Late on a Thursday afternoon in the middle of July, Jordan is still in his boxers, still laying across the bed. The house was quiet, too quiet. There were no sounds coming from the family room. There were no sounds coming from the nursery. Maddie's room, always bursting with life, was now silent. Not wanting to face any of it, Jordan had decided to stay in bed.

It had been three weeks since Angela had taken the kids and boarded a plane for Pennsylvania. In the first two weeks, Residue had had so many appearances, Jordan had just blocked it all out. Even the first part of this week had been crazy. He'd been so busy, he hadn't been able to mope around.

Today, however, was different. He had nothing to do and no where to be. He, along with all his thoughts and all of his regrets, was all alone. On his back, in the middle of the bed he and Angela had shared for the last few months, he's thinking about her.

He misses her so much, and he misses the kids. He'd gotten used to being with them all the time. He wished he could jump on a plane and fly to Three Rivers, but he has obligations. Maybe once the album drops on Tuesday, he can go home. One month away from them should be more than enough time.

He talked to Angela on the phone almost everyday, but there seemed to be a lot of distance between them. He didn't know how to get rid of that feeling. They never talked about what happened, they mostly talked about the kids and what was going on with the album.

Grinding the heels of his hands into his eyes, he tries to stop the tears that he knows is coming. Laying there, looking up at the ceiling, he blinks back the moisture and thinks back to that afternoon. The afternoon that Angela watched the video, the afternoon she said they needed some time. The same afternoon she told him she was leaving.

_Three weeks earlier_

Jordan and Angela stand staring at each other, neither saying a word. Blinking back tears, Angela turns back to the window. Jordan, hanging his head, walks over to stand beside her.

"Say it, Jordan." She glances over at him and then back to the window.

Clearing his throat, he says, "What do you want me to say, Red?" Leaning his forehead against the glass, he places his hands on either side of his head. "Ask me and I'll tell you."

"Did you do it? I mean, not during the video, but any time after?" Wrapping her arms around herself, she turns to him.

In a whisper, he says, "No, I've never cheated on you."

"Then why have you been distancing yourself from me? You told me about the video. I knew what you were doing. So why?" Angela, tears streaming down her face, watches Jordan struggle to find the words.

"Because it felt like I'd done something wrong." Moving his hands to his head, then around to the back of his neck, he sighs. "Because I'm the one who pushed Shane and Tommy to make this video when they both thought it was a bad idea."

"Jordan, the video was amazing. I thought it was great. God, _you_ were great. I don't think it's the video that I have a problem with." Letting out a bitter laugh, she turns and walks over to the sofa. "I'm not naive. I know that you were following a script. I know that you and Tommy and Shane were all acting. And I know it's supposed to look real. The only problem is, somewhere along the way, you stopped acting, didn't you? That's what's eating at you, isn't it?"

Pushing himself from the window, Jordan walks over to sit on the table in front of her. "Angela..." Jordan looks down at the floor, swallowing loudly. Taking her hands in his, he looks back up to her. "I don't know what to say." Closing his eyes, he bows his head.

Pulling her hands from his, she places them on either side of his head making him look at her. "I just want to know what's going on in your head. If you didn't cheat on me, then why do you feel so guilty?"

When he still doesn't say anything, she sighs in frustration. Throwing herself back against the sofa, she crosses her arms and continues to watch him. "Please don't go back to this, it's not fair. You don't get to close up on me. We are going to talk about this, no matter how much it hurts."

Taking a deep breath, running his hands through his hair, Jordan sits up straighter. "Just remember that you wanted to hear this when I'm done." Standing up, he walks back over to the window.

With his back to her, he says, "I'm scared to say it."

"Just tell me, Jordan. We need to get this out of the way. I'm tired of feeling like this and I'm tired of seeing you like this." Tucking her feet under her, Angela watches him.

Throwing his head back, Jordan says, "I wanted to, ok? That's my problem. I didn't, but I sure as hell wanted to."

"You wanted to what? You wanted to tell me?" Confused, Angela watches him start to pace.

"I wanted to sleep with her, that girl. Is that what you wanted me to say?" Watching her eyes widen, he smirks. "Yeah, I didn't think you wanted to hear that."

Moving over to sit on the far end of the sofa, Jordan props his elbows on his knees, clasping his hands together. "All day that day, I watched them film take after take of the girls together. I heard Cubbins tell those girls it had to look real. I almost backed out several times. I was going to call it all off. At the very last minute, I couldn't do it. We'd already filmed over half the video and I wanted to finish it."

Looking right at her, he says, "I texted you just minutes before I started filming. I wanted so bad to call you and talk to you about it, but I didn't. I wish I had now."

Shaking his head, he forces himself to say the words that he knows will change things. "At first, I couldn't touch her. All I could think about was you. What you would think, how you'd feel. But Cubbins kept making me do it over and over and over. Somewhere in the middle of all of it, I started thinking about her."

"Jordan, I was wrong. I don't want to know. Don't say anything else." Angela gets up from the sofa and walks into the kitchen, leaning on the counter. Jordan gets up and follows her.

"Hell, we've come this far, I may as well tell you all of it." Standing with his back to the wall, his hands in his pockets, he tells her, "Angela, I haven't been with any other woman since we got together 17 years ago. I'd never thought about cheating on you, I didn't want to. But that afternoon, with her under me, my hands on her body, I did think about it. I was tempted to."

Nervously licking his lips, he continues. "Every time I kissed her, every time I touched her, I thought about it. By the time we were finished filming, I had even convinced myself that I wanted her. As I was gathering my things, I picked up my cell phone and saw that you had texted me. I can't even begin to explain how that made me feel. I mean, here I was, practically having sex with another woman and you were thinking about me, telling me how much you love me."

Pushing himself away from the wall, he walks over to stand in front of Angela. Her head is down as she stares at the floor. Lifting her chin in his hand, he says, "I didn't cheat on you. I came home with the guys that night. But I am guilty of thinking about it. I thought about it for days afterward. I hated myself. I still hate myself. I did this. I can't change it or take it back. And it's not just because of the video that I'm telling you this. I need for you to understand so I can get past it."

"Jordan, why didn't you tell me all this that night? I asked you about it. I gave you plenty of chances to tell me, instead you turned away from me. That hurts worse than knowing that you _thought _about sleeping with someone else." Sniffing back tears, she pulls away from him. "Jordan, I understand about what happened during the filming. You are a man, after all. I would have been surprised if you hadn't gotten a little turned on by it. But after it was all over, you went from being my husband to being my room mate."

"Because I felt so guilty about all of it. I couldn't touch you without thinking about touching her. Every time I kissed you, I thought about kissing her. Every time I saw you without your clothes on, I saw her in my head. Instead of putting you through that, I thought it would be best just to give us some space. I thought I needed some time to forget about it. I felt like I was betraying you. " Throwing his head back, he stares at the ceiling.

"Oh my god. Do you still think about it? Do you still think about her?" Angela pushes Jordan away from her and steps around him.

"Angela, it's not like that." Watching as Angela walks toward the stairs, he feels helpless. "Where are you going? We need to finish this."

"We're done with this. I'm not talking about it anymore." She heads up the stairs and he follows behind. When they get to the bedroom, she takes out her suitcase and sets it on the bed.

"Angela, what are you doing?" Jordan grabs her arm as she walks past him.

"I'm packing. Me and the kids are going home. If you need some time, I'm going to give it to you." Pulling away, she walks to the closet.

"Babe, please don't do this. I'm sorry. I swear I would never cheat on you." He moves over to stand in front of the closet door as she's pulling clothes from the hanger.

"Jordan, you didn't cheat on me. But because you can't be honest with me, you withdrew from our marriage. I don't think I would have been half as angry if you'd have just came to me and told me what was going on in your head. Instead, you let it push a wedge between us. You haven't even tried to have sex with me since that night. I won't stay here like this with you anymore. I'm going home." She steps around him and starts folding clothes into her suitcase.

"Angela, please don't leave me here by myself. I don't want you to go back home. Stay with me." He just stands there watching her.

"Jordan, you're the one having a hard time with this. I can't honestly say it doesn't bother me a little, but I can see how much it's bothering you. You need time to get over this or whatever. I'm taking the kids and we're going back to Three Rivers. When you're done out here, you can come home." Going over to the dresser, she starts removing clothes.

"Red, please don't go. I love you, babe. I don't want to be here without you. We can get past this. Just stay."

"I'm going. You need to go spend some time with your children." Brushing past him, she goes back to the closet.

_Present day_

Jordan rolls over onto his stomach, burying his head in the pillow, Angela's pillow. He can still smell her on it. Sighing, he rolls back over and sits up on the side of the bed. As his feet hit the floor, his stomach starts growling. Trying to remember the last time he ate anything, he draws a blank. Angela hadn't been there to make sure he was eating right. Leaning forward with his head in his hands, he starts to cry.

Jordan VO: _Why did this have to be so hard? Why couldn't I just come home to her that night and tell her. It would have saved us all a lot of heartache. I should have known that she would understand. Why do I always doubt myself. God, I miss her._

As Jordan sits there crying, he doesn't hear the front door open. He doesn't hear the footsteps on the stairs. He doesn't see Angela when she walks into the bedroom. He's lost in his own misery.

He doesn't realize he's not alone until he feels the bed dip down. Lifting his head, he looks up to see Angela sitting beside him. She doesn't say anything. She puts her arms around him and he lays his head against her chest. Slipping his arms around her waist, he hugs her tight.

Sitting that way for several minutes, he continues to cry. Angela rubs her hand over his back, trying to soothe him. "Jordan, it's ok. Stop crying, babe."

Moving away from her, he sits up. Brushing the tears from his face, he looks down to her. "Red, what are you doing here? Where are the kids?"

"Mom has them. She took a few days off and she's going to keep them until I get home on Monday." Brushing his hair from his eyes, she runs her hand over his face. "Jordan, you look like hell. Have you been eating? Have you been sleeping? Why are you in bed this late in the day?"

Grabbing her hand, he pulls her into his arms. "I've missed you, Angela. This being away from you is killing me. I can't stand it. How can I sleep? And I have no idea when the last time I ate was." About that time, his stomach growls.

Smiling at him, she kisses his cheek before moving out of his arms. "Why don't you go jump in the shower? I'll go down and fix us some dinner. You have me all to yourself until Monday, so you better make good use of this time."

Getting up from the bed, she heads for the door. She stops and turns back to him as Jordan says to her, "Angela, I love you. I don't need anymore time away from you, ever."

"I love you, too. Now get moving." She leaves the room.

Jordan gets up and heads to the shower. He can hear her moving around in the kitchen. Smiling to himself, he thinks about how wonderful that sounds.

**Hope I didn't disappoint you...I was so sad writing this. I changed it a few times. Now I'm ready to move on to happier times. Jordan and Angela do have a 4 day weekend, all alone, to look forward to. REVIEW. ~gagirl29**


	33. Caught in the act

**Caught in the act**

**I own nothing...**

"Hey, Ang? You want some popcorn?" Jordan asks, standing in the kitchen with the cabinet door open.

"No, just grab a bag of chips and some soda. Don't worry about making popcorn." Angela, already heading to the movie room, as they've started calling it, yells up the stairs.

Smiling to himself, Jordan grabs an unopened bag of chips, closing the cabinet behind him. Taking two sodas from the refrigerator, he heads down the stairs after her. Catching up with her at the bottom of the stairs, he hands her one of the cans. Slipping his arm around her waist, he pulls her to his side.

"Are you really here, or am I dreaming?" Burying his face in her hair, he closes his eyes. "I've missed you so damn much."

It had only been a few hours since Angela walked into their bedroom to find Jordan sitting on the side of the bed, crying his eyes out. Jordan was happy again. All was right in his world. Angela was with him, she loved him and that's all that mattered.

After Angela had come in and got him out of bed, he'd showered and then they had eaten dinner together. Now they were going to watch a movie, which movie didn't matter. He just wanted to be with her.

"I'm really here, Jordan. I've missed you, too." Standing there, at the foot of the stairs, Angela hugs him. "Come on, let's go start this movie, then we can cuddle all you want."

With his arm still around her, they walk into the movie room. Choosing to sit on the leather sofa, they kick their shoes off and sit, putting their drinks and chips on the table in front of them. Jordan grabs the remote and starts flipping through the channels. Deciding on a comedy, they snuggle together and watch.

About halfway through the movie, Angela shifts so that she's leaning into the corner of the sofa and Jordan lays his head in her lap, stretching out. Angela starts running her fingers through his hair, touching his face. They both seem content just sitting together, sharing space. By the time the movie ends, Angela has slid down behind Jordan. Her head is resting on the arm of the sofa and her arms are around him.

Thinking that he had fallen asleep, Angela tries to move from behind him without waking him. As she's trying to climb over him, he rolls over onto his back and pulls her down on top of him.

"Where you going? Trying to sneak away?" Jordan smiles up at Angela.

"No, I just thought you were sleeping. You look like you could use some rest, so I was going to let you nap." Reaching down, she brushes his hair from his forehead.

"I'll rest later, I just want to be with you now." He pushes his hand through her hair and pulls her down for a kiss.

Pulling back a little, she takes his face in her hands. "Jordan, you have to take better care of yourself. You've lost a lot of weight and you look really tired. I don't want you to get sick on me."

"Things haven't been so good for me, you know? I haven't been able to sleep and I couldn't eat. I've been running on autopilot for the last few weeks. I thought I was going to lose you." All the doubt and insecurity shows on his face.

"Jordan, you aren't going to lose me. You're stuck with me. I just thought you needed time to work out whatever you were feeling." Laying her head on his chest, she whispers, "You need me to take care of you, don't you?"

"Yes, I do. No matter how many times we've been apart before, this has been the worst. It felt like we were really apart. I hated every minute of it." Hugging her tight, he says, "I don't even want to think about it anymore."

Angela pushes herself back up with her arms on either side of his head. Looking down into his eyes, she says, "Baby, don't think about it. I'm here now. I love you." She lowers her mouth to his, softly kissing his lips.

Jordan wraps one hand in her hair and moves the other down her back as he takes her bottom lip into his mouth, gently sucking, then biting on it. Slipping his tongue into her mouth, he deepens the kiss. With his hand still in her hair, he pushes the other hand down the back of her jeans, squeezing her ass.

Angela pushes her hips against him, rubbing against his erection. He moves the hand from her hair to the bottom of her shirt. Grabbing it in his hand, he pulls it up and over her head before returning his lips to hers. Pushing one of his legs between hers, he moves so that his leg is rubbing against her heat.

Moaning into his mouth, Angela breaks away and starts pulling on his shirt. He leans up just long enough for her to pull the shirt over his head and then he pulls her back down to him. He moves his mouth along her collarbone, and up her neck to the hollow behind her ear. All she can do, is hold herself up.

Jordan's hands, moving all over her body, now stop to unfasten her bra. Pushing it from her shoulders, he moves his mouth down to her breasts. Taking first one breast, then the other in his mouth, he moves his hands around to the front of her jeans, unsnapping them and slipping the zipper down.

Just as he's about to push her jeans down over her hips, they hear a gasp, followed by a curse. They both look over to see Shane standing in the doorway, his back to them. Jordan, rolling his eyes, growls in frustration. Angela hides her face against Jordan's chest, laughing.

"Oh, shit. Angela, I'm sorry! I didn't know you were here." Shane heads back out the door.

"Shane, wait. Just give us a minute, ok?" Angela, still laughing gets up and fixes her pants. Grabbing her shirt from the floor, she pulls it over her head. Picking up her bra, she shoves it in her pocket.

Jordan, stilling laying on the couch with his eyes closed, sighs. "Damn it. I was this close to getting it and in walks Shane. How many times is that now?"

Reaching for his hand, Angela pulls him up into a sitting position and hands him his shirt. "That's 6 by my count. At least this time we were in our house."

"Shane," Jordan yells, running his fingers through his hair.

Shane walks back in the room, face red. "I'm sorry. I swear I don't do it on purpose."

Chuckling, Jordan pulls Angela down to sit beside him, throwing his arm over her shoulders. "I think you do, you perv. You should wear a bell around your neck so that I hear you coming."

Shane, a teenage boy trapped in a man's body, laughs and says, "Maybe I should, that way I don't hear _you_ coming."

Angela cracks up at this comment. "Oh my god. Shane, how old are you? And let's forget that you saw anything, ok?"

"What the hell do you want, anyway?" Jordan is now twisting a strand of Angela's hair around his finger.

"I came to check on you, man. I've been worried about you." He looks from Angela to Jordan and then back. "I can see that you're all better now, so I'm going to go. Sorry that I interrupted you."

"Shane, you don't have to leave. Stick around, we can watch another movie," Angela says as she reaches for the remote.

Jordan, taking the remote from her hand, says, "Uh, yes, he does have to go, like right now."

"Jordan! Don't be rude. He can stay. I'll go get more soda and I'll make some popcorn." Pushing up from the sofa, Angela walks over to where Shane is standing and hugs him. Whispering in his ear so that Jordan doesn't hear, she says, "Thank you for calling me, Shane. I'm glad he's got you to look out for him. I'm sorry I didn't let you know when I was coming."

Hugging her back, Shane says, "I love you, Angela, but if you do that to him again, I will kill you." He kisses her on the cheek.

"What are you whispering about over there?" Jordan starts to get up.

"Nothing, man. Just telling her that I missed her." Shane walks over to push Jordan back down on the sofa as Angela makes her way upstairs. He flops down beside Jordan.

"You called her, didn't you?" Jordan grabs Shane in a headlock.

"Damn, man. Get off!" They wrestle for a little while before Shane breaks free. "Yes, I did call her. I wasn't going to let you fall apart on me."

"I should be pissed, but you know what? I'm not. I'm glad you called her. I think I was having a breakdown when she got here. I don't think I would survive if she ever did decide to leave me." Jordan scrubs his hands down over his face.

"Jay, you don't have to worry about that. I'm telling you though, you better be upfront with her from now on. You brought this on yourself. And you should fucking listen to me when I tell you something. I have been right a time or two." Shane punches Jordan in the arm. "She's the only sister I have, so you better hang on to her."

"Damn, Shane. I'd hate to see what would happen if we ever did split. She'd probably end up with you in the divorce." Laughing now, Jordan picks up the remote and starts flipping through the channels again.

"It's not like that, Jay. I love you both. You're closer to me than either of my brothers." Propping his feet on the table in front of him, Shane says, "I can't stand to see you like you were. And that woman loves you. Don't shut her out."

"Ok, I get it. I did this to myself. It's over now. She's here with me, that's what's important." Jordan stops on the latest Saw movie and he and Shane continue to joke around until Angela gets back with 3 sodas and a large bowl of popcorn.

Sliding into her seat between Jordan and Shane, she tucks her feet under her. "So, the album drops on Tuesday? How long do you have to stay out here before we pack up this house and you guys come home?"

Jordan speaks up first. "I'm coming home on Thursday. I had already planned on it." Taking a handful of popcorn, he starts shoving it in his mouth.

Shane, looks at Angela, then to the floor. "I was gonna come home next weekend, but I have a favor to ask you since Jay is going home."

"What, Shane? You know I'd do anything for you." She takes his hand in hers.

"Would you let the twins stay with you for the weekend? Maybe Thursday through Sunday?" Shane looks uncertain.

"Of course they can stay with me, but why? Sharon hasn't said anything." Angela leans back against Jordan, still holding Shane's hand.

"Well, I haven't asked Sharon yet, but I was going to fly her out here. Maybe we could stay in the house and close it up for you before we head back to Pennsylvania." Shane looks up and meets her eyes. "I wouldn't ask, but it's important."

Angela, putting 2 and 2 together, gasps. "Oh my god, Shane. Yes, if you want, you can do that. We don't have a problem with that. Do we, Jordan?"

Jordan, now interested in the movie, glances over to Shane. "What, no, I don't have a problem with it. Just don't use our bed." Jordan turns back to the movie.

"Shane, have you already bought her a ring?" Smiling to him she squeezes his hand.

Reaching into his pocket, he pulls the box out and hands it to her. Angela opens it to find a three stone diamond ring. She grins before jumping up and throwing herself in Shane's arms. Now giggling, she kisses Shane on the lips.

Jordan, who hadn't been paying attention, looks over at them in confusion. "What the hell? Shane, get your fucking hands off my wife."

Angela and Shane both ignore him as Shane wraps his arms tight around her and pretends to kiss her back. Pulling her down so that she's laying in his lap, Shane bends his face down over hers. "Oh, Angela, I love you, too. You're too good for him. Let's run away together."

Jordan, now scowling at them, says, "This isn't funny. Shane, let her up or I'm gonna hurt you."

Angela pushes herself off Shane's lap and hands Jordan the ring. "Look, babe. Shane got me a ring."

When Jordan sees the ring, his eyes go round with shock. "No fucking way!" Jordan laughs and hands the ring back to Shane. "I'm serious, dude. Don't use my bed." Jordan jumps up from the sofa and pulls Angela up behind him. "Speaking of my bed, turn this shit off when you leave. My wife and I are turning in for the night."

Laughing as Jordan pulls her out of the room, Angela calls back to Shane. "I'll talk to you tomorrow, Shane. I'm happy for you!"

They leave Shane sitting on the sofa with the movie still playing. Picking up the bowl of popcorn, Shane settles down to watch the movie.


	34. The secret is out

**The secret is out.**

**I own nothing...Wow, is this really chapter 34? Seems like I just started! Thanks to those of you who are sticking with me. I appreciate it. Thanks to all the newbies who are taking the time to review. Special thanks to 3girlsmom, Creceant, Danigirl and Lov2-travel...you guys make me smile!**

Sunday afternoon, Angela and Jordan were hanging out by the pool with Shane, Tommy and Deborah. They'd all had lunch together and then Shane suggested they take a swim. As hot as it was in July in California, everyone had agreed.

Angela and Deborah, sitting in the lounge chairs by the wall, were watching Jordan, Shane and Tommy horse around in the water. They laugh as Tommy swims up to Shane from behind, shoving his head underwater. Shane comes up sputtering before grabbing Tommy around the waist and pulling him under with him.

"So, Deborah, Tommy told me you guys were getting an apartment together in Pittsburgh." Angela picks up her soda and takes a sip.

"Yeah, we're going to be staying at Shane's until we find a place. It just makes more sense, you know? We both gave up our apartments when we came out here, so instead of renting two apartments, we're going to rent one and live together." Deborah glances over to the pool where the guys are laughing and splashing each other.

"That's great, Deb. I know Shane won't mind you staying there as long as you need to. He's probably going to be staying at Sharon's a lot, anyway." Angela looks at Deborah, watching her watch Tommy. "You guys are good together. You obviously love each other."

Deborah looks back to her with a smile. "We do love each other. When I started working with them three years ago, I never imagined I'd end up where I am now. Tommy and I didn't hit it off at first, either." Laughing at her memories, Deborah says, "To be honest, I think it was because he was jealous of Shane. You know what a flirt Shane is. It's hard not to be drawn in by him. But I never felt that way about him."

Angela, having never really talked to Deborah about any of this, is now curious. "So how did you two end up together? I know Tommy, and he doesn't say all that much. I bet you made the first move."

"Yeah, I did, actually. But I had some help. Jordan and Shane locked us in the dressing room together after a show one night last year. Guess we were getting on their nerves." Smiling to herself, Deborah says, "After arguing for almost an hour, I grabbed Tommy and kissed him. Let's just say, it was a start to something beautiful."

"I'm happy for you. First you and Tommy, and then Shane and Sharon. Before long, there will be another Residue baby running around." Chuckling, Angela says, "Gosh, once the fans find out that all the members of Residue are off the market, there will be mass pandemonium."

With a slightly panicked look, Deborah turns away from Angela. "How did you know? We haven't told anyone yet."

Angela VO: _Wait. What is she talking about? Uh oh, I guess Tommy and Deborah have something to tell us._

"Told anyone what, exactly?" Angela, now confused, asks her, "Is there something you want to talk about?"

Shifting closer to Angela, Deborah says, "Angela, I'm 8 weeks pregnant. We found out a few weeks ago, but we weren't going to tell anyone yet. I thought that's what you were talking about."

Angela, shocked, stares at Deborah before busting out laughing. "No, Deb, I wasn't saying that at all. I was talking about Shane and Sharon, you know." Angela holds up her ring finger, pointing at her ring.

Now it's Deborah's turn to look shocked. "Wow. Guess we're all full of secrets lately, aren't we?"

"Uh, NO, we aren't. Jordan and I have no secrets to divulge. Shane and Tommy, however, have been busy boys." Deborah and Angela are laughing when all three of the guys get out of the pool and walk over to where they're sitting.

"What's so funny over here?" Shane asks, sitting on the end of Angela's chair.

Tommy nudges Deborah over so that he can sit beside her. "Let us in on the secret."

Angela and Deborah crack up again. "How about the two of you letting the rest of us in on some of your secrets?"

Jordan pushes Shane up from his spot at Angela's feet and sits in front her, leaning against her chest. "What are you talking about? These two can't keep secrets. They're like an open book, mostly pictures with very few words."

"Fuck you, Catalano. I have secrets that you know nothing about." Shane takes the seat on the other side of Angela. Looking across at Tommy and Deborah, snuggled together, Shane says, "Alright. I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours."

Tommy looks down at Deborah and smiles. "Ok, but it wasn't going to be a secret for long. We just wanted to wait a little while. You know, let the media hype die down and all." Hugging Deborah to him, he says, "Deborah and I are getting married next month."

"What? Deborah! You didn't tell me that!" Angela reaches over and pinches her on the arm.

Jordan starts laughing. Looking at Shane, he shakes his head. "Oh, god. Two weddings at once? I don't think I can stand this. I'm gonna have to wear a suit?"

Tommy snorts, saying, "Damn, Shane. Didn't mean to spoil your fun. Have you asked her yet?"

Shane, now pouting, crosses his arms over his chest. "No, I haven't. I was going to ask her next weekend."

Angela reaches over to pat Shane on the arm. "It's ok, Shane. At least Sharon isn't pregnant."

Deborah yells at Angela, "Angela! God, you gotta big mouth!"

"Nice, Tommy. Haven't you heard of protection?" Jordan bumps fists with him.

Shane, still pouting, looks at the wall and mumbles something. Not catching it, Tommy says, "What was that?"

"I said, YES, she is." Shane leans his head back on the seat and closes his eyes.

Jordan, who had been stealing a drink of Angela's soda, gasps and then starts to cough as the drink goes down the wrong way. Angela and Deborah are laughing and Tommy is shaking his head. Shane looks over at them all and smirks. "All we need now is for Angela to tell us she's pregnant again. If the other night was anything to go by, she could very well be."

"Shut up, Shane! Hell no. Angela is not pregnant again. Angela is not having anymore babies." Angela grins at her friends. "Now it's you guys who get the midnight feedings and dirty diapers. I say all of you need to sign up for babysitting when we get back. Justin will break you in. He's more than enough for me at the moment."

"You guys are a piece of work. Shouldn't you have proposed, then made babies?" Jordan takes Angela's hand in his, playing with her wedding band. "And don't even say anything about me, I was 19. You guys are old enough to know better." Pretending to frown, he says, "I'm really disappointed in the both of you."

"Oh, hush, Jordan." Reaching down to pinch his stomach, Angela giggles. "We didn't get married until 3 years after I was pregnant the first time."

"True, but we were kids. They are grown men. Well, Tommy is anyway. Shane will forever be 16." Jordan smirks as Shane flips him off.

All of them start laughing. Shane grabs his towel and excuses himself, heading up the stairs. Before too long, Tommy and Deborah leave, too. Jordan and Angela are left sitting together in the lounge chair. Jordan starts running his hands over her legs on either side of him. Angela's arms are around his neck, crossed over his chest. Her chin is resting on the top of his head.

"Ang, you don't want another baby, do you?" Jordan runs his hand over the back of her thigh.

"Jordan, no. We've talked about this." She's told him over and over that she doesn't want anymore kids, at least not right now. "Just because Shane and Tommy are both having kids, doesn't mean we need to have another one."

"Oh, I know. I was just thinking that, you know, we've got Maddie and Justin. We know how to do this, but Shane and Tommy are both going to be new dads. I was remembering what it felt like. To be honest, I don't know if I really want anymore or not. I don't know how I'd feel with another baby, especially since Justin is still so small." Moving his finger across the back of her knee, he says, "I think they'll be good dads, don't you?"

"I do. You see how they are with the kids. And Shane is already crazy about Sharon's boys. They'll be fine. Just like you were." Hugging him, she says, "Every dad is different. If they're half as good at it as you are, then those kids are lucky."

"I used to be scared of what kind of father I would turn out to be. I was terrified that I'd turn out like Tony." Moving his head, he plants a kiss on her shoulder. "I'm so glad I'm not like him."

"Baby, you are nothing like him. You're a great father. Don't ever doubt it." She leans over and kisses his lips. Brushing her hand down over his stomach, she stops just above his shorts before moving it back up. "Wanna get back in the pool with me?"

He stands up, pulling her up behind him. "Yeah, let's get in the pool."

She watches as he dives in the deep end, before she jumps in after him. When they both come up for air, he swims over to her. Grabbing her by the waist, he picks her up and tosses her in the water. She wraps her arms around his legs and pulls him under with her.

For a while, they play in the water like two little kids, happy and carefree. When Angela notices that her fingers are starting to get wrinkled, she swims over to the steps and climbs out. Jordan climbs out behind her.

Taking her by the hips, he pulls her against his chest. Kissing her just behind the ear, he says, "Don't run off," as he brushes one hand up across her stomach, while the other one moves to the front of her bikini bottoms. Pushing his hand inside, he cups her heat. "I've been watching you in this thing all afternoon, now I want to see you out of it." Pulling her ear into his mouth, he bites down on it.

Angela, feeling his erection pressing into her back, reaches around to rub her hand over the bulge in his shorts. "Let's head upstairs. I don't think I could handle another of Shane's interruptions."

Turning her around to face him, he wraps his arms around her back and pulls her up against him. "No. I don't want to go upstairs. I don't want to wait that long." He ducks his head, capturing her lips with his. Pushing his tongue in her mouth, he grabs her ass and pulls her tighter against him.

"But what if someone comes back down here?" Angela moves her hands down his back.

"They won't. Don't worry." Jordan nips at her neck.

Backing her up against the wall of windows that overlook the forest, Jordan grinds his hips against her. His mouth, now moving along her shoulder, is leaving a damp trail. His hands make their way into her bottoms. One is caressing her ass, while the other is moving across her damp heat to her slick wet opening.

Angela has one hand in his hair. Her other hand is down the front of Jordan's trunks, stroking his dick. When he pushes two of his fingers inside her, she moans in pleasure, rocking her hips against him. Untying his trunks, she pushes them down his hips just enough to free him. She goes back to stroking him while he works his fingers in and out of her.

"Jordan, anyone can see us through these windows if they look." She licks up the side of his neck. "Let's at least take it to the couch in the next room so we can shut the door." She sighs as his mouth bites down on the top of her left breast.

Grinning against her skin, he says, "So let them look. I want you right here." Removing his fingers, he takes her bottoms in his hand and pulls them to the side. Hitching her right leg up over his hip, he enters her, pushing himself all the way inside.

He pauses to look at her face, listening to her sigh with pleasure as her body stretches to accept him. Pulling her top down, he moves his mouth to her chest. With his shaft, rock hard, buried inside her, he holds her in place while his mouth works on her breasts. He continues to tease her as she starts rocking her hips against him. Gently biting down on her nipple, he starts moving inside her.

Angela, with her head tilted back against the glass, arches her back. Jordan, holding her hips in place as he strokes in and out of her, leans forward to places kisses across her chest and neck, licking and sucking along the way.

Angela, holding on to his shoulders, lets out a cry as Jordan pushes deeper inside her. Holding her up, he moves in and out, his body sliding against hers. As she feels her muscles tighten around him, she pulls his mouth to hers. She can feel her whole body shudder as he moves just the right way. Moving her tongue against his, her hands tangled in his hair, she lets go.

Jordan, still thrusting into her, grabs her ass with both hands and pushes her higher on the window. Wrapping her legs around his waist, she holds on to him. Her body still pulsing around him, she cries out again. Jordan, fingers biting into her hips, thrusts into her one last time before he empties himself inside her.

He leans into her for several long seconds before she unwraps her legs. Slipping out of her, he helps her to stand. Wrapping his arms around her, he kisses her forehead. They continue to lean against the glass for a few minutes until both are breathing normally again.

"I don't know if I can make it upstairs. You may have to carry me," Angela mumbles against his shoulder.

Chuckling, Jordan lets her go and takes her hand. "Come on. You can do it."

They walk around the pool and up the stairs. When they get to the kitchen, Shane is sitting at the table looking bored.

Looking at him in surprise, Jordan says, "Why are you sitting up here?"

Rolling his eyes, Shane sighs. "I left my phone down there. I was waiting for you to come up so I could go get it. I didn't expect for it to take this long." Just as Shane is disappearing down the stairs, he says, "Geez, you guys are loud."

Laughing out loud, Jordan starts for the bedroom, pulling Angela behind him. "Well, that was awkward. At least he didn't walk in on us this time."

**Review, people! It makes me happy...and then I want to write more. :) ~gagirl29**


	35. Reunions

**Reunions**

**I own nothing...**

"Sharon, I still can't believe you didn't tell me. Whatever! You're supposed to be my best friend. You were the first to know every time with me. Yes, I saw the ring. He showed it to me last week." Angela, talking on the phone, reaches in to the refrigerator and pulls out a bowl of sliced bananas. Removing the lid, she puts it on the highchair tray in front of 8 month old Justin. "The twins are fine. Jordan took all of them to the lake. Jamie is with them, too. You and Shane just enjoy yourselves."

Hearing the doorbell ring, Angela says, "Sharon, someone is at the door. I'll talk to you later." Hanging up, she lays her phone on the counter. With a glance at Jay, she walks into the hall and to the front door. Pulling it open, her mouth drops in surprise.

Angela VO:_ What is she doing here? If she's here to start trouble, then she needs to turn around and go right back where she came from. I don't want to deal with this now._

"Rayanne. What are doing here?" She thinks about shutting the door, but decides against it.

"Angela, can I come in? Just to talk?" Rayanne, looking much better than the last time she showed up at the door, looks unsure of herself.

"I don't know, Rayanne. I really don't think that's a good idea." Angela stands with her arms crossed watching Rayanne.

"Please, Angelica? Just for a little while? I promise it won't take long." Rayanne, twisting the strap of her bag, pleads with her. "I just have some things I need to say."

Angela steps aside. "Come in. I have to get back to Justin. He's in the kitchen."

Rayanne walks in and Angela shuts the door. Walking toward the kitchen, Angela says, "Come in here. Want a soda or something?"

"No, I'm fine." Rayanne walks into the kitchen and stops to stare at Justin. "Wow, Angelica. He looks just like Catalano."

Smiling despite the tension, Angela says, "Yeah, he does, doesn't he? He'll be 9 months old in a few weeks. We're already chasing him around the house."

Grabbing a wet wipe, Angela cleans Justin's face and hands, before wiping the tray in front of him. Justin giggles at his mom, waving his hands in front of him. When he smiles, you can see his front tooth. Bending to kiss his head, Angela laughs at him.

Rayanne, still standing in the middle of the floor, watches Angela and her baby. Angela turns back to her. "Raynie, have a seat. I was just about to make myself a salad. Want one? You can talk to me while I work."

Rayanne walks over to the end of the bar and climbs up onto the stool. "That would be great, thanks. Where is everyone? Maddie and Jordan, I mean."

"Jordan took Maddie, Jamie and Sharon's boys to the lake. They should be home in a little while." Pulling vegetables from the refrigerator, Angela says, "So, what are you doing in Three Rivers?"

"I came to visit Mom. Angela, I'm thinking about moving back here permanently. I just wanted to tell you and Jordan first." Looking down, Rayanne toys with the bracelet on her wrist.

At first, Angela doesn't say anything. She continues to cut up veggies for their salad. When she looks over at Rayanne, she puts her knife down. "Rayanne, you can live where ever you like. We can't stop you."

Not breaking eye contact, Rayanne says, "I just didn't want you guys to find out from someone else. I mean, I know things will never be the same as before. And I know it's my fault. I guess what I'm saying is that I wanna apologize. I don't want things to stay the way they are. I miss you."

"See, that's the thing. I don't know if things will ever be close to what they were before. I can handle the fact that you were carrying a torch for Jordan. I understand that. I can't understand how you hurt Shane, for no reason. Or how you tried to blackmail Jordan. What the hell were you thinking?" Angela stands with her hands propped on the counter in front of her.

"I wasn't thinking, Angela. I was strung out on cocaine. I wasn't in my right mind. I never thought you'd find out that I had a thing for Jordan. It wasn't like it would have ever gotten me anywhere. He is totally in love with you and has been since we were kids. I know that." Sighing, Rayanne stands up and walks over to Angela. "Ang, I really am sorry. I'm sorry for what I did. I'm sorry that I put you through all this. I'm sorry for hurting Shane, too. He'll probably never forgive me."

Angela, laughing, says, "I don't think Shane has given you much thought lately. He and Sharon just got engaged. And they're having a baby."

"No shit? Really? That's great." Rayanne laughs, before a confused look crosses her face. "But wait, what about Kyle? He and Sharon aren't together anymore?"

"Well, Sharon found out that he had been cheating on her. He moved out and got an apartment with his girlfriend. Their divorce was final last month." When Justin starts to cry, Angela moves toward him. Picking him up from the high chair, she turns back to Rayanne. "Shane has been seeing Sharon since New Year's Eve. She's in California with him right now, so we have the boys until they get back."

Rayanne asks, "Can I hold him while you finish our salads?" When Angela hesitates, Rayanne says, "Please, Angela?"

Angela passes Justin to Rayanne and watches as she sits back on the stool with him in her arms. Moving back to the counter, Angela listens to Rayanne coo to the baby while she finishes up. She takes two sodas and the salad dressing from the fridge. She takes them to the table and then she grabs both bowls and heads back to the table.

Rayanne insists that she hold Justin while she eats. Justin doesn't mind, he plays with the charm on Rayanne's knecklace. Angela watches her with the baby. She seems relaxed and more like the Rayanne of old. It's nice.

When they finish eating, Angela cleans up, putting the dishes in the dishwasher. Taking the baby, she excuses herself to change him and lay him down for his afternoon nap. When she returns, Rayanne is standing in front of the refrigerator looking at the pictures hanging on it.

Hearing Angela, she turns. "Angela, Maddie is getting so big. She looks a lot like Jordan, but I see so much of you in her. She's beautiful."

"Thank you. She'll be 13 years old next month. She's going into the 7th grade. Time sure does fly, doesn't it?" Angela smiles.

"Yes, it does. Wow, I can remember when she was just a tiny baby. Now you have Justin, too. You and Jordan did good." She gives Angela a small smile.

"Rayanne, you've been a part of my life just as long as Jordan and Ricky have. We all have history. That won't ever change. This is still hard, you know?" Angela frowns at her.

"Angela, I really am sorry. I've caused all this and I want to fix it. Tell me what I need to do." Rayanne walks over to her and takes her hand. "Ricky finally called me. We talked. I realize how much I've hurt everyone with my actions, Ricky and Simon, you and Jordan, Shane. I just want to move on."

"Rayanne, I can't speak for Ricky or Simon, but I know that Jordan and I are past this. We understand that you weren't yourself. That's why Jordan did what he did. He wanted to help you. And Shane has moved on. He loves Sharon. They've got a good thing going." Giving her hand a squeeze, Angela lets go and walks toward the den. Rayanne follows.

Once they're seated, Angela says, "Are you still acting? I have to be honest, I haven't really kept up with what you've been doing."

Shaking her head, Rayanne says, "No, I haven't worked since I got out. I knew it was going to hurt my career. It's ok, though. I still have most of my savings. Maybe one day I'll go back to New York, but for now I have to concentrate on getting myself together."

"That's good, Raynie. I'm glad you feel that way." Angela tucks her feel under her. "I've been worried about you."

Before Rayanne can say anything, they hear the back door open followed by what sounds like a stampede. Not wanting them to wake Justin, Angela gets up and walks to the door. "Hey, you guys keep it down. Justin is sleeping." The kids all quieten, but there's still a lot of laughing.

Angela sits back on the sofa as the kids pile into the room. Maddie walks over and hugs her mom, looking over at Rayanne. "Hey, Mom. Hey, Rayanne. What are you doing here? You haven't been around in a while."

Jamie, followed by Billy and Bobby, walks over to stand behind the sofa. Jamie says, "Hey, Rayanne, what's up?"

Rayanne, taking in all the kids, smiles and says, "Hey, guys. Look at all of you! You're all so grown up now! Hey, Maddie. I just stopped in to say hi to your mom."

Angela, looking at Maddie, says, "Where's your dad?"

"He's unloading the car. He told us to come ask you if we could walk to the park. He said he didn't care if you didn't." Maddie gives Angela a smile. "Please?" The boys all chime in.

"I don't care. Just be back before dinner." They watch as all the kids head out of the room.

"Angelica, you have a house full of teenagers. That's crazy!" Angela and Rayanne laugh together.

Jordan walks in the room. Seeing Rayanne, he stops short. "Uh, hey, Rayanne. This is a surprise." He walks over to sit with Angela, throwing his arm around her shoulders. Pulling her against him, he leans into her for a kiss.

"Hey, Catalano. I stopped by to talk to Angela. I just wanted to give you guys a heads up that I'm moving back to Three Rivers. I wanted to apologize, too." She looks from Jordan to Angela. "I guess I really need to say thank you, too. I really appreciate you taking care of my rehab. It means a lot to me." She takes a deep breath before continuing. "Jordan, I'm sorry for what I did. There really was no excuse. I hurt a lot of people with my actions."

"It's cool, Rayanne. Just knowing that you've stayed clean and you're trying to fix things is enough." Jordan looks at Angela. "Did you tell her about Shane?"

"Yeah, I told her. She's happy for him." Smiling up at him, she says, "He asked her last night. She called me first thing this morning." Looking at Rayanne, Angela says, "Tommy is getting married, too. Seems like everyone is settling down."

Rayanne chuckles, "Wow. Seems like. I guess now would be a good time to tell you guys that I've been seeing someone. It's probably not going to surprise either of you. And it is the reason I'm moving back to Three Rivers."

"What? Who?" Angela looks at her curiously.

Jordan starts laughing. "You did not hook back up with Tino, did you?" Seeing her expression, he says, "Oh, god. This is too good!"

All three of them start laughing. "Well, he is the only person that's ever really understood how fucked up I am. He gets me. We have fun together." Rayanne, smiling, gets up. "I gotta run. Mom is waiting on me."

Angela and Jordan get up and walk to the door with her. She hugs first Angela and, after hesitating, hugs Jordan, too.

"Thanks again, Jordan. I don't know how I'll ever be able to repay you. And I hope we can all put this behind us. I know we can't just fall back in step or whatever, but I do miss you guys." She reaches over to take Angela's hand. "I love you, Angelica. Thank you for lunch and for letting me stay."

Rayanne walks out the door smiling. Jordan shuts the door behind her, then turns to take Angela in his arms. "I didn't expect her to be here when I got home. Things seemed to go well."

"Yeah, we had a nice time. It was awkward at first, but she seemed to be sincere. I think she's going to be ok." She stands on her toes and gives him a kiss. "And, god, I never expected her and Tino to hook back up. That was a surprise."

Pulling her against him, he laughs. "Well, Red, it seems like everyone is ending up with who they're meant to be with. It just took some people longer to find that person. Me? I've always known it was you."

Standing in the foyer, locked in each others arms, Jordan kisses Angela. Without words, he tells her how much he loves her. They're both happier than they've been in a long time.

**I decided I needed to show Rayanne some love...what do you think? Review! ~gagirl29**


	36. The way it used to be

**The way it used to be**

**I own nothing...**

_Sunday morning...August 1997_

"Jordan, did we remember to pay the phone bill this month?" Angela, now 18 and freshly graduated from summer school, asks as she's sitting at the kitchen table in their tiny apartment above the garage.

Sticking his head out of the bathroom door, tooth brush in his mouth, mumbles, "I don't know. Don't you usually write it down?"

"Well, it's not written down, so I guess it didn't get paid." Sighing, she pushes the notebook that she had been looking at away from her. The notebook that she keeps all the bills in.

Angela VO: _Why is being an adult so hard? What is it when you're little that makes you want to grow up so bad? You just can't wait to get here. But when you finally do, you realize that there's a lot more to it. Why can't anything ever be easy._

Jordan, now 20, comes out of the bathroom, pulling his shirt over his head. Pouring himself a cup of coffee, he adds his three sugars and joins Angela at the table. Seeing the forlorn expression on her face he leans over to kiss her forehead. "Don't sweat it. We'll make it up somewhere."

"How will we make it up? We already don't have enough to pay the car insurance. You've been working from open to close every day and I've been pulling extra shifts at the restaurant." Sitting back in her chair, she crosses her arms over her chest and frowns.

"We'll figure it out, stop worrying about it. We have until next week to pay the insurance and if they cut the phone off, it won't be such a big deal. That's not something we need anyway." Taking her hand in his, he says, "Babe, cheer up. It's Sunday and neither of us has to be anywhere. We've got the whole day together."

Taking the notebook in her other hand, she lays it out in front of them. "Jordan, look at this. I don't see how we're going to do this. I mean, I know you want to keep saving money so that I can start school in the Spring, but I don't see how it's going to happen. I don't have to start school right away."

"Ang, college is important to you. We agreed that we'd save so that you didn't have to put it off. I almost caused you to not graduate high school. I'm not going to be the reason you don't go to college." Sipping his coffee, he gives her hand a squeeze. "If we have to, we can eat dinner with your mom and Dani, she said we could. That will save on the grocery bill. That should make up the difference on the insurance."

Glancing back down at the notebook, Angela says, "Jordan, I've decided I don't want to go to college right away. I've thought about it a lot. I don't want to move to another city. We're already struggling. We'd both have to find new jobs and a new apartment. I don't want that."

"But, Angela, if you put it off, you'll keep putting it off. There will always be a reason why you can't. I think you should do it." Putting his coffee cup down, he slides his chair back and pulls her into his lap. "I can't let you give up on this. We'll be fine."

"Jordan, I'm not giving up anything. I just want to put it off for a little while. At least until we get ahead. We can just take some of the money we have put back and catch up on all the bills. And I would really like to find a house somewhere. This apartment is cramped, we need more space." She lays her head on his shoulder.

"Red, if we spend the money, it won't be easy to put it back. It's taken us a year to save up what we have." Tightening his arms around her, he says, "I promise you, one day you won't have to worry about any of this. You won't have to worry about the bills and how we'll pay them. I'm not always going to work in a garage."

"Oh, I know that. It's just hard right now. We're barely getting by as it is. I don't want to think about what it will be like if I start back to school. I won't be able to work as much and you'll have to worry about paying everything." Sitting up, she looks him in the eye. "Jordan, I know you think I shouldn't wait, but I want to. When things are better for us, then we'll worry about it."

Looking back at her, Jordan tucks her hair behind her ear. "I'm sorry that things are so tight right now. I wish you didn't have to work, at all. I'm supposed to be taking care of you." Taking her face in his hands, he says, "You know I would give you the world if I could, right?"

"Jordan, you don't have to give me the world. All I want is you." They share a gentle kiss.

When Jordan pulls back, he hugs her to him. "Are you sure you want to wait?"

Angela nods, saying, "I think it would be best. For now, anyway."

"Ok, get up." He nudges her off his lap. When she stands looking down at him, he says, "Go get dressed. We're gonna take a drive. There's something I want to show you."

Angela heads to their tiny bedroom to change from Jordan's t shirt, her normal sleep attire, to one of her own. Slipping on some cut offs, she slides her feet into her sandals. Pulling her hair into a ponytail, she heads back into the living room/kitchen to find Jordan standing by the door with his keys in his hand.

"Where are we going?" Angela takes his hand and follows him out the door and down the steps.

"You'll see. You just have to be patient." Jordan pulls the passenger door of Red open and waits for her to get in before shutting it behind her.

Walking around the front of the car, he opens his door and gets in. Starting the car, he pulls out of the lot and heads in the direction of her mom's house.

"Are we going to Mom's? Is she expecting us?" She looks at him in confusion.

"No, we're going a few streets over." Passing the street she grew up on, Jordan turns down one three blocks away.

Stopping in front of a small white house, the yard overgrown with knee high grass, he cuts the engine. Getting out, he walks around to Angela's door and opens it for her. Taking her hand, he pulls her up to stand beside him looking at the house.

"So, what do you think?" He looks at her curiously, trying to gauge her reaction.

"What do I think about what? This house?" She takes in the peeling paint and the rusted fence. One of the shutters is hanging crookedly and the front porch is sagging.

"Well, yeah. You said you wanted to get a house. I know it's not much to look at, but could you live here?" Now unsure of himself, he starts biting at his thumb. "We could fix it up a little and it's really close to your mom."

"It does need a lot of work. How did you find out about this house? Is it for rent or something?" Stilling holding his hand, she pulls him along with her, walking toward the front path.

"Shane's grandma used to live here. A few months ago, she went to live with his aunt in Philadelphia. It's been empty since she left. His mom is gonna rent it out after they fix it up a little." He scratches his head with his free hand. "She kinda asked me and Shane to do the work. Since you want to move, I thought maybe me and Shane could still fix it up, but instead of getting paid or whatever, it could go toward our deposit."

Angela opens the gate and walks toward the porch, Jordan following behind. "So what kind of work does it need? Besides some paint and yard work? Anything major?"

"Not really. We'll probably have to replace some of the porch. The whole inside will need to be painted and we're gonna have to rip all the carpet out, maybe refinish the wood floors. We'll have to buy a new refrigerator and there's no dishwasher. It does have a washer and dryer, though. We won't have to keep going to the laundromat." Taking a set of keys from his shorts pocket, he opens the door.

The front door opens into a hallway that goes all the way to the kitchen in the back of the house. As they step inside, Angela goes from room to room, taking it all in. The small living room, the first door on the right, has a fireplace on one wall and a bookshelf built in on either side. The front wall has floor to ceiling windows. There is a hideous floral wallpaper on the other two walls.

The front bedroom, across from the living room is tiny. There's just enough room for twin bed and a dresser. The second bedroom, the master, is the next room on the right. It's a little larger. A full size bed and dresser would fit nicely. There's a walk in closet in the corner.

The bathroom is small, too. It has a pedestal sink and small shower, no tub. The laundry room is all the way to the back of the house, just past the bathroom and across from the kitchen.

The kitchen and dining room are separated by a breakfast bar. It's a nice size, bigger than any of the other rooms. The wallpaper, yellowed and peeling, has small green and blue pinstripes. Some of the cabinet doors are sagging and the counter tops are stained.

Jordan, watching Angela, starts to think it may not have been such a good idea after all. Just as he's about to tell her to forget about it, she turns to him and smiles. Slipping her arms around his neck, she stands on her toes to kiss him.

"So, when can you talk to Shane's mom? Think we could start cleaning it up today?" She watches him stare at her in confusion. That adorable blank expression on his face.

"What, you want to live here?" Seeing her smile, he returns it. "When you didn't say anything, I thought it meant you didn't like it."

"Well, it does need a lot of work, but we can fix it up together. She's not gonna ask a fortune for it, is she? I mean, we can afford it?" She brushes his hair from his face and cups his cheek.

"If you're sure about putting off school for a little while we can. But only if you're sure." When she nods to him, he says, "It is more than what we're paying Uncle Johnny and we'd have to pay for water and sewage, too. We'll have to put up deposits for the lights and everything. And I think we have to pay for trash pick up."

"So let's go by and ask her if it's ok. We've got the rest of the day to clean it up. The sooner we get it done, the sooner we can move in, right?" She runs her finger over the shell of his ear, making him shudder.

"Hey, that tickles." Batting her hand away, he laughs. "You're sure? You don't want to think about it some? We don't have to decide today."

"I'm sure. We can make this place really nice. It just needs some love." Stepping back from Jordan, she walks back through the house, heading out the front door.

When they're both standing on the porch, looking around at the yard, Jordan says, "Hey, I know this isn't that nice. One day, you'll be able to pick out any house you want. Hell, one day, I'll build you a house just the way you want it."

Slipping her arm around his waist, she leans into him with her head resting against his shoulder. "Jordan, it doesn't matter where we live, as long as we live together. I keep telling you, being with you is what I want. If we had to live in Red, I would be fine as long as I could curl up with you in that backseat every night."

When his arms come around her, she hugs him tight. "Baby, one day, when you're famous, we'll look back and remember this. We'll remember what made us who we are. I wouldn't change any of this."

"Angela, what did I ever do to deserve you?" Bending to kiss the top of her head, he sighs. "You are, without a doubt, the best thing that ever happened to me. You believe in me. You make me feel like I can do anything."

Pulling her head back, she looks up at him. "Jordan, you can do anything. You didn't have to do anything to deserve me. I love you." She pulls away from him and nudges him toward the porch steps. "Now let's go. Times wasting. I want to go talk to Mrs. Jones so we can get back over here."

Taking her hand once again, he pulls her through the gate and they get into Red. As they drive to the Jones house, Angela holds his hand in hers. Smiling at him, she lays her head on his shoulder.

Angela VO: _One day, he'll realize what a good man he is. When he is a household name, when he and Residue are famous, we will remember this. We'll remember what it was like to work for what you want. It's the simple things in life that make you happy, right?_

**Review...**


	37. The show must go on

**The show must go on**

**I own nothing...Since I've been spending a lot of time with teenage Jordan and Angela, I thought I'd go back to the future and pay them a visit. I've been missing them. :) And Jared, you need to take a break! **

"Jordan, you're sick. You don't have to do this right now. How are you going to perform like this? Postpone them." Angela is standing in the doorway of their bedroom in Three Rivers watching Jordan pack a small bag to take with him to California. He wasn't packing much because everything he needed was at their California home.

"I'll be fine." Jordan says, but he doesn't sound fine. He has a stuffy nose and he'd been coughing all night. "I called ahead and told them that I was sick, so I'm sure we won't be performing. We'll just do the interviews. That way, I can get it over with so that I can get back home. I don't want to miss Maddie's birthday."

Ever since the album had dropped a few weeks ago, the record company was setting up interviews and performances on all the national TV outlets. Residue had performed on Live with Regis and Kelly, Good Morning America, and The Today Show. They'd sat in on the countdown on MTV. They'd just gotten home from New York two days ago after having performed on Late Night with David Letterman. Jordan had been coughing since.

Angela takes note of Jordan's glassy eyes, red nose and flushed face. "Babe, you need to be in bed, not running around getting ready to fly across the country. If you don't want to postpone, then let Shane and Tommy go."

"Just get me some Dayquil. I'll be good enough to do the interviews. In three days it will all be over and I can get back here." He starts coughing, having to stop to catch his breath.

Angela walks over to him and puts her hand to his forehead. He was burning up. "Jordan, you aren't fine. You need rest. If you leave, you won't get any rest at all." She makes him sit on the end of the bed. "And I know you. You'll take some Dayquil and you'll go out there and try to perform anyway."

Jordan closes his eyes for a moment, then opens them to look up at her. "I won't sing. I don't think I can anyway." His voice is as raspy as sandpaper.

"Stay home. Don't do this to yourself." When he doesn't say anything, she says, "Fine. Finish packing. I'll be back in a minute."

She leaves him sitting on the end of their bed and heads downstairs to get her phone. The first person she calls is her dad. "Hey, Dad. Can Maddie stay with you and Hallie for the rest of the week? Yeah, everything is fine." She pauses to let her dad speak. "Jordan has to go to LA for a few days and he's not feeling well. I'm going with him to make sure he takes care of himself. Yeah, I'm going to call Sharon to see if she'll keep Justin for me. Thanks, Daddy. I'll bring her by the restaurant in a little while. Love you, too."

After she ends the call with Graham, she calls Sharon. Shane answers. "Hey, Shane. Is Sharon around? Yeah, I'm going to LA with you guys. Yeah, that's what I was going to ask her. Jordan's sick. No, he doesn't want to postpone. You know how he is. Ok, I'll hold on."

Jordan walks into the kitchen just as Sharon comes on the line. He pulls out the stool at the end of the bar and sits with his head resting on his arms. "Sharon, I need a big favor. Can you keep Justin for me until the end of the week? Yeah, you and the boys can even stay here if you want." Angela watches as Jordan's forehead creases in a puzzled frown. "I'm flying out with the guys this afternoon. Jordan's sick and he insists on going anyway, so I'm going with him. Thank you. Ok, we'll see you in a little bit." Angela shuts the phone off and sticks it in her pocket.

"What are you doing? You don't have to come with me. I'm not a little kid, I can take care of myself." Jordan starts to cough again.

Angela goes to the cabinet above the sink and takes out the box of cold medicine. Grabbing a bottle of water from the refrigerator, she hands them both to Jordan. "Here, take some of this. I'm going upstairs to get ready. Shane and Sharon will be here in a few minutes." She doesn't give him time to argue, she just leaves the room.

* * *

><p>It's really late that night when they arrive at their home in California. Jordan had slept the whole flight and he was still a little groggy. The medicine had helped to keep his fever down, but he was still coughing. Angela unlocked the door and ushered Jordan inside while Shane and Tommy headed to their apartment over the garage.<p>

She turned on the light and dropped their bags on the floor by the door as Jordan flopped down on the sofa. "God, my head is killing me. Maybe I should have stayed home," he moans.

"We're here now. I have some Nyquil in my bag. You need to take some of that and then you're going straight to bed." She digs the medicine from her bag and carries it to him on the sofa. She measures out the amount he needs and watches him make a face as he takes it.

"Ugh. That stuff is disgusting," he croaks. "How is that going to make me feel better?"

"It's just like the stuff you've been taking all day. This will help you sleep. Let's get you upstairs and in the bed. Maybe you'll feel better in the morning." Angela puts her arm around him as he stands up, swaying.

She walks with him upstairs and helps him strip down to his boxers before tucking him into bed. She leans down to kiss him on the forehead. Running back downstairs to collect their bags, she grabs a bottle of water from the refrigerator and turns to head back upstairs. As she's making her way across the family room, Shane comes in the back door.

"Hey, Ang. How's he feeling? He didn't look too good earlier." Shane walks over to the back of the sofa and leans against it.

She lets their bags fall to the floor as she moves over to sit on the end of the sofa. "He shouldn't have come out here. He's still running a fever and he was complaining of his head hurting. He's in the bed right now."

"Well, Tommy and I will do the Tonight Show without him tomorrow. If he starts to feel better, then he can do Lopez and Chelsea Lately like he planned on Thursday. I'll tell Mark we can't perform on either show. If he's that sick, then he needs to get his ass to the doctor." Shane, knowing how Jordan is, says, "If you need me to, I'll drag him there for you."

Chuckling, Angela says, "Thanks. Let's just see how he feels tomorrow. I think he has the flu, but if he isn't better we'll make him go."

"I'm gonna grab some water to take back out there with me. I'll see you guys in the morning." Shane leans over to kiss Angela on the cheek. "Get some rest."

As Shane heads to the refrigerator, Angela picks their bags up and climbs the stairs. When she enters the bedroom, Jordan is softly snoring, huddled down under the covers. She strips down to her panties and pulls an old t shirt from the dresser drawer. Slipping it over her head, she goes in to the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face. She climbs into bed with Jordan and puts her arm around him before falling asleep.

* * *

><p>Jordan wakes up the next morning with a pounding headache and his throat feels like he'd swallowed broken glass. As he tries to sit up on the side of the bed, the room starts to spin around him. Dropping his head to his hands, he waits for the dizziness to pass. When he gets up to walk across the room to the bathroom, it feels like his body is weighted down. It's all he can do just to hold himself up.<p>

After he uses the bathroom, he makes his way back to bed. Laying back, he takes a deep wheezing breath. That only makes him cough. He has to sit up again. Sliding up in the bed, he leans back against the headboard. Leaning his head back, he groans.

"Shit, that hurts." Jordan starts coughing again, holding his ribs.

"Hey, are you ok?" Angela sits up beside him, reaching for his forehead. "Babe, you need to go to the doctor. You're burning up!"

"I'll be fine." He croaks out to her. "Just get me some medicine, please."

"Why are you being so damn stubborn? You can hardly talk. You can't go on TV like this." She gets out of bed and grabs her bag from the floor. Rummaging until she finds the Dayquil, she pulls it out and hands it to him. "Take some and then get your butt in the shower. We're going to the doctor."

She pulls her robe on and takes her phone with her as she leaves the room. Jordan takes the medicine, washing it down with a drink from the water bottle Angela put on his night stand the night before. He continues to sit there for a few more minutes before he gets up. He makes his way back into the bathroom and turns the shower on as hot as he can stand it. Stripping his boxers off, he steps under the spray.

When he leaves the bathroom, wrapped only in a towel, Shane is standing propped in the doorway with his arms crossed. He makes it as far as the bed and sits down on the end of it. Looking at Shane, he says, "What?"

"Angela is on the phone with the doctor's office right now. You have to be there in 30 minutes. I came to make sure you were ok." Shane looks at Jordan, the concern he has for his friend is evident. "I won't let you argue with us."

"I'm not arguing. I don't have the energy." He starts to cough again. "Grab me some clothes, will ya'?"

Jordan watches as Shane goes to the closet and pulls out a pair of jeans and a t shirt. He stops by the dresser, opening two different drawers before finding Jordan a pair of boxers and some socks. Carrying them to the bed, Shane hands them to Jordan before turning his back to him. He waits as Jordan puts them on.

When Jordan is dressed, he slips on his sneakers. When he doesn't reach for his phone or his wallet, Shane grabs them and hands them to him. "Jay, you must really be sick. You aren't arguing with me and you didn't even grab your phone." Putting his arm around Jordan he helps him down the stairs.

After spending a few hours at the doctor, Jordan is sent home with clear diagnosis of Bronchitis and a handful of prescriptions. He's told that he must rest, and he most definitely shouldn't be singing. Angela and Shane get him back home and tuck him into bed, where he stays for the rest of the day and all of the night. He watches Shane and Tommy do their interview on the tonight show from the bed and that's where he eats the soup that Angela made for him, too.

When he wakes the next morning, he still feels bad, but he no longer feels like he's going to die. Rolling over to his side, he looks at Angela who is laying on her side facing him, still sleeping. She'd done nothing but take care of him since she woke up two days before. She had been waiting on him hand and foot while he laid in the bed. He smiles to himself, thinking how lucky he is that he has her to take care of him.

Reaching over, he brushes her hair back. He caresses her cheek before running his hand over her shoulder and down her arm. She slowly opens her eyes.

Blinking the sleep away, she says, "Good morning." She studies his face. His eyes are clearer and he his face isn't flushed. Clearing her throat, she says to him, "I can already tell you're feeling better."

Hoarsely, he says, "Yeah, I do feel better. My throat still hurts and my chest feels like an elephant's sitting on it, but I think I'll live."

She reaches over to him and caresses his cheek, just like he did to her a minute before. Searching his face, she tells him, "I was really worried about you, you stubborn man." She slides closer to him.

He puts his arm around her and drags her against his body. "I know you were." He gently kisses her mouth. "I just thought it was a cold or something. I should have listened to you and stayed home."

Giving him a sleepy smile, she says, "Yeah, you should have." She kisses him back. Not wanting to further infect herself, she pulls back before he can deepen the kiss. She is very much aware of his erection pressing into her stomach. "I'm so gonna get sick if we keep this up."

Rolling over on top of her, he says, "I'll just have to take care of you if you do." He drops his head to her neck and starts to lick and suck his way down to the exposed skin of her collarbone peeking out from the top of her too big t shirt. His hands make their way under the bottom of her shirt and he pushs it up to her shoulders as his mouth is working on her ear.

"Mmmmm," she moans, "I guess you are feeling better." She leans up for him as he pulls her shirt over her head.

When her shirt is gone, he immediately moves his mouth down to her breasts. Feasting first on one and then the other. His hands move down to her hips, traveling across her thighs, pushing her panties down as they go. With his mouth on her belly, licking and biting, he slips his hand between her legs. When he feels her wetness on his fingers, he lets out a moan of his own.

Moving to the bed beside her, he pulls the panties down her legs and then makes quick work of removing his boxers. He settles himself between her legs, taking her lips with his as he slides into her body. Slowly, he starts to move. His mouth leaves a hot, wet trail across her jaw and down along her neck as he continues to stroke into her hot, wet heat.

Angela's hands, traveling up and down Jordan's back, settle on his hips. She holds him to her as he continues to love her with his mouth and his body. Their lovemaking, this time slow and gentle, is just as passionate as any other time. It doesn't take long before Angela is crying out his name in release. Jordan soon after.

Kissing her softly, Jordan rolls to the bed beside her, laying on his back. He's asleep within seconds. Angela quietly gets up from the bed and tucks the blankets around him before slipping into the bathroom to shower.

* * *

><p>Later that afternoon, Angela, Shane and Tommy are sitting around the family room when Jordan comes downstairs. He's showered and dressed. Not in his usual blue jeans and t shirt. He's wearing a pair of black jeans with a black, long sleeved button-down shirt, rolled to the elbows and open at the neck. His dark brown hair, starting to get long again, it spiked up on his head. His ever present sunglasses in his hand.<p>

Having slept for almost three straight days, he looks much better. The only indication that he is sick, his raspy voice and occasional cough. Angela just stares at him for a minute, taking in the sight of her husband, in all his Rockstar glory.

When he catches the way she's looking at him, he chuckles breaking the spell. Giving her a smile, he says, "Are you coming with us? We have to be in Burbank by 4 o'clock."

"Not unless you want me to." She wasn't really dressed to go to a TV studio in her cut off shorts and tank top. "I figured Shane would keep you in line. Me and Tommy are just gonna hang out here."

Jordan bends to kiss her before slipping his sunglasses on his face. "Ok, we're heading out. I took my medicine and I promise I won't overdo it. We'll see you in a bit. Love you." He and Shane head out the door to do their interviews. Sick or not, the show must go on.

**I love these guys...writing about them makes me happy! Hope you enjoyed it! ~gagirl29**


	38. Teenage boys

**Teenage boys...**

**I own nothing...**

"Madison Catalano! What are you doing?" Angela exclaims.

Maddie and one of Sharon's twins had their lips locked together when Angela had walked out on the patio. At the moment she isn't sure which twin it is.

The kids break apart guiltily. "Mom! I didn't know you were home." Maddie jumps up from where she was sitting to stand in front of Angela.

The twin, either Billy or Bobby, tries to move past Angela into the house. She puts her arm out blocking his path. "Wait a minute, Mister," Angela says to him. "Madison, you go to your room. I'll be up in a minute."

Maddie rushes into the house with her head down. The twin, who she's now certain is Bobby, shifts from one foot to the other. He seems to be really fascinated with the toe of his shoe.

"Bobby, you know better. You're almost two years older than her. She just turned 13." Angela watches as Bobby's face turns bright red. "You guys shouldn't be out here alone."

"I know, Angela. I'm sorry." He looks over at her. "You aren't gonna tell Jay, are you?"

She almost laughs at the terrified look on his face. "I have to tell him. We don't keep secrets. But if you promise me that this won't happen again, I'm sure he'll go easy on you."

Bobby says, "I promise. It was the first time and I started it. Don't yell at Maddie, ok?"

"I'm not going to yell at her. I'm going to talk to her, though. The two of you won't be left alone together, either." She watches as he fiddles with the plastic bracelet on his arm, the bracelet that Maddie had been wearing that morning. "You like her, don't you?"

"Yeah. But I know that she's still young. I wouldn't ever do anything to hurt her." He takes a deep breath. "I just don't want you and Jay to be mad at her. She didn't do anything."

Angela decides to take pity on him. After all, he was her godson and she loved him as if her were her own. She pulls him into a hug. As her arms wrap around his thin shoulders, he lets go of the breath he seemed to be holding and relaxes against her. His arms go around her and hug her back. She squeezes him tight before letting him go.

"Bobby, I don't mind that you and Maddie like each other, but there will be rules. You do understand, right?" She watches his face as he nods. "I'll talk to Jordan about it."

"But why? He's gonna be mad at me. And he'll probably ground Maddie for life." He goes back to staring at his feet.

"He's not going to ground her. You should know by now that I'm the evil parent, not Jordan. And he won't be mad at you, I promise. Speaking of Jordan, where is he? And where is my son?" Angela asks, looking around the backyard.

"He's in the garage with Shane and Billy. Me and Mad laid Justin down for his nap a little while ago." Bobby looks toward the backdoor as if he expects Jordan to suddenly materialize and hurt him.

"Ok. You go hang out with them in the garage and I'll go talk to Maddie." Angela watches as Bobby disappears into the house.

She stands on the patio looking out at the backyard for a minute, trying to decide what she wants to say. She knew that this day would come, but she had no idea that it was going to be with one of Sharon's boys.

Angela, Sharon, and Deborah had been shopping for the double wedding that they were planning for the last weekend in September. They had talked about Sharon's boys getting ready for high school. Sharon was concerned that they would end up being like their dad, sleeping around.

Angela had tried to reassure her that both Billy and Bobby were good kids and that she didn't think they'd be careless. She didn't think they were really into sex or chasing girls. Now she was seriously worried that she had been wrong. Especially since it was her 13 year old daughter that she had caught with 14, almost 15, year old Bobby.

_When did Maddie grow up on me? Wasn't it just yesterday that I was changing her diapers? Chasing after her? And now she's kissing boys? When did this happen?_

"Here goes nothing," she mumbles to herself, before heading upstairs to have a talk with her daughter.

* * *

><p>Angela was in the kitchen with Justin when Jordan and Shane finally came out or garage an hour later. Maddie was mad at her, so she was locked in her bedroom. Billy and Bobby were in the den watching college football with Jamie, who had shown up a while ago. Graham had dropped him off on the way to the restaurant.<p>

Jordan leans over to kiss Angela's cheek as he heads to the sink to wash his hands. Shane makes himself at home and grabs a soda from the refrigerator before plucking Justin out of his walker and sitting at the table with him. Justin is happily cooing to his Uncle Shane, his new favorite person. Looking on at them, Angela smiles.

Jordan grabs a bottle of water from the fridge and leans on the counter beside her. "What happened with Bobby earlier? He came in the garage white as a ghost, not saying anything."

Shane looks up from Justin. "He was fine when we went out there. He and Maddie were playing with Justin on the floor."

Angela looks between Jordan and Shane. She takes a deep breath and blurts out, "I caught him and Maddie on the patio earlier."

Shane's eyes grow wide. "No shit?"

Jordan says, "What the hell do you mean, caught them? Doing what?"

"They were only kissing." Shane stands up from the table. With Justin in his arms, he starts walking toward the door. Angela puts her hand out to stop him.

"Shane, don't. I've already talked to him and he's embarrassed enough as it is." She tightens her hand on his arm. "He's scared of what Jordan is gonna think. Don't freak him out."

Shane jiggles a squirming Justin around in his arms. Frowning, he says, "Angela, she's just a baby. He needs to keep his damn hands off of her."

Jordan, still leaning against the counter, has his arms crossed over his chest. "What did he say when you talked to him?" His jaw clenched, he says, "How long has it been going on?"

Angela turns to Jordan. "He said he was sorry. That it was his doing. He said it was the first time they had kissed. I really don't think anything is going on, so don't get all pissy." She looks back at Shane. Both guys look extremely irritated. She doesn't think she could stop both of them if they went after Bobby. "You guys have to remember that he's still a kid, too. He's only 14."

"About to be 15. In just a few weeks." Shane leans against the counter on the other side of Angela. When Justin reaches for his mom, he passes him off to her. "I still think I should talk to him. He has to know that she's too young for him. And he waited until we were in the garage to make his move. Sneaky little shit."

"Seriously, Shane? They're together all the time. Here. At your house. At Dad's. He could have _made his move_ anytime. It's not like he was trying to seduce her. They're teenagers. They like each other. They just have to be told the rules." Angela takes Justin back over to his walker and straps him in. As Jordan pushes away from the counter, she steps in front of him. "Where are you going?"

"I'm gonna go talk to him. I'm gonna tell him _my _rules." He starts to move around her.

"Jesus. Listen to both of you! It's not that big of a deal." She puts her hand in the middle of his chest, holding him in place. "Think about what you were like at his age. Weren't you doing the same thing?"

"That's exactly why I wanna talk to him. When I was his age, I was trying to get in everyone's pants. I'm not gonna let some horny little teenage boy make the moves on my 13 year old daughter. He's two years older than her." Jordan runs his fingers through his hair, huffing in frustration.

"You're two years older than me. Shane is two years older than Sharon. Hell, Brian is four years older than Danielle. What's your point?" Angela pushes him back toward the counter. Standing in front of Jordan, she looks at Shane. "I can't stop you guys from talking to him, but don't go and scare the shit out of him. He's not you." She looks at Jordan. "He's not you, either. He's a good kid. At least they have us to look after them. They've both been told that they can't be alone together. We have to trust them."

Jordan rolls his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest, he looks away. "So, I'm not supposed to say anything? I should just pretend like you never told me?"

"I didn't say that. I just don't want either of you going in there all pissed off. And not in front of Jamie and Billy, either. Don't embarrass him like that." She steps closer to Jordan, touching his arm. "Babe, just chill out. Talk to him after you calm down. Think about it. You've known this kid since he was born. He's your godson. You know he wouldn't try that with her. He looked scared to death when I told him I wasn't going to keep it from you."

"Fine. I'll do it your way. But I will talk to him. You can count on it." Jordan moves his thumb up to his mouth, chewing on it.

"What about you, Shane? You gonna leave it for now? Talk to him about it later? And the two of you better not gang up on him, either." Angela watches as Shane reluctantly nods. "I'm going to call Sharon and tell her. You both better behave yourselves."

She walks over to the bar and pulls her phone from her purse. Walking toward the backdoor, she says, "Jordan, watch your son. I'll be back in a minute." She leaves the two men brooding in the kitchen, Justin happily playing in his walker.

* * *

><p>Later that night, Angela is sitting up in their bed rubbing lotion on her arms when Jordan comes out of the bathroom. He pulls the covers back and climbs into bed beside her. When she's finished with her arms, she starts to rub lotion on her leg. Jordan turns her so that her legs are draped across him and takes over.<p>

"Me and Shane talked to Bobby." He feels her tense up under his touch.

"Jordan..." She starts to scold him, but he interrupts her.

"Just let me finish." He squirts lotion on her other leg and starts to rub it in. "We didn't corner him. After you went outside to call Sharon, he came into the kitchen where we were. He told us what happened and he said he thought maybe he should come to me, not the other way around."

"See. I told you. He's a good kid. You know, if she has to have a little boyfriend, at least it's him." When Jordan is finished with her other leg, she takes the lotion bottle and places it on the night stand.

"I know he's a good kid. But, babe, just the thought that he was _kissing _my little girl is enough to make me hate him. She's my baby. You can't blame me for getting upset." He pulls her to him and tucks her against his side with her head resting on his shoulder. "I couldn't help but think about everything I was doing at his age."

"I didn't say you couldn't get upset. I got upset. Do you think I wanted to go have that kind of talk with my 13 year old? I mean, we've had _that _talk and she's had to take sex ed. But seriously? She was kissing a boy on our patio." Angela reaches for Jordan's hand and starts twisting his wedding band around his finger.

"Well, I don't think we have to worry about Bobby. He probably won't even try to hold her hand now." Jordan chuckles to himself.

"What?" She looks up at him, but he just grins. "What did you say?"

"I didn't say nothing. I didn't have to. I just stood there with my arms crossed and let him do all the talking." He chuckles again at the memory of it. "Shane may have said a few things, you know about how he's gonna be his stepdad and all. And about how it would be legal for him to kick his ass. But I didn't say anything, I promise."

"Well, I remember what it was like when I had my first real crush. I would have been mortified if my mom had caught me kissing a boy, especially one that I liked." She sighs, thinking back to that time.

"How many boys did you kiss? And why am I just hearing about this?" He pretends to be put out by her admission.

"Not as many as you think. It was only like three or something. But I didn't really like any of them. One of them was a dare, too. That one doesn't count." She continues to sit with her head on his shoulder, playing with his hand. "But there was this one guy. I really liked him a lot."

She bites back a smile when he sits up a little straighter. "Really? Who was this guy, the one you really liked?"

"Oh, you know. It was just a crush. It started when I was just a little older than Maddie. I think I had just turned 14. He was a little older than me, too. And he was all cool and mysterious. I think that's what I liked so much about him." She keeps her head down, not wanting him to see her face.

Clearing his throat, Jordan says, "And you kissed this guy?"

She pretends to frown and looks up at him. "Why? You aren't jealous, are you? It was like almost 20 years ago."

"What? No, I'm not jealous. I'm just curious. And besides, you're the one that started this." He shifts on the bed so that he's facing her. "So, did you?"

"No, I can tell you're getting mad. Don't worry about it. It's not important, anyway." She watches as his eyes narrow.

"Why won't you just tell me?" he says to her, scowling.

"Fine, but only because you made me." She turns her body to face him, sitting with her legs crossed. "The first time he kissed me, well the first two times, wasn't that great. But the third time was magical. He leaned in slowly and pressed his lips to mine. It was perfect." She sighs wistfully, mostly for effect. She watches as he tries to hide his irritation. "It didn't last long, though. He was a jerk after that, so that was the end of it." She shrugs her shoulders and sits looking across the bed at him.

His brows drawn together, he searches her face. "After all these years, you still remember how magical it was? So, you only kissed this guy like three times?" "

"Three times in the beginning. But after a while, I lost count. And he was really experienced, too. Some of them were totally hot." Angela fans herself with her hand as if to cool herself off.

"Huh? I thought you said he was a jerk? After he treated you like that you still let him kiss you?" He was definitely getting pissed.

"Well, yeah. I was totally infatuated with him. I don't regret one minute of it." She's really starting to enjoy this, but she can tell that she's about to push him too far.

"If you were so infautuated with him, and his kisses were so fucking wonderful, why didn't you end up with him?" He snaps, crossing his arms over his chest

"Who said I didn't?" she asks, cocking her head to the side.

"Oh, come on. You may have let this asshole kiss you, but that's all you did. I know that I was your first." His scowl deepens as he stares at her.

Angela smirks at him. "I definitely let him do more than kiss me. I even let him talk me into meeting him in the boiler room a time or two. And I was only 15 then."

Now Jordan just looks confused. "What? You said you'd never been to the boiler room before."

She can't help but laugh at him. "Baby, I'm just messing with you. You can relax. I was talking about you."

Jordan continues to stare at her for a few seconds before launching himself at her and pining her to the bed. Grinning down at her, he says, "That was just plain evil, Red. Now you must pay."

He lowers his head to hers and begins her sweet punishment.


	39. Best Friends

**Best friends**

**I own nothing...**

"I'm going to take a shower. You coming up in a minute?" Jordan heads toward the stairs.

"I just want to watch the news first." Angela, who'd already had her shower, says to Jordan as he walks away.

Flipping through the channels, she stopped on the 7-day weather forecast. As she was listening to the twenty-something weather girl in a tight red dress telling her that it was going to be unseasonable hot and humid for early September, her phone rang.

She knew it was Shane, just by the ringtone. Hitting the talk button, she put it to her ear. "Hey, Shane. Is everything ok?"

Although it wasn't uncommon for Shane to call her phone, it was weird that he was calling so late. She immediately starts to worry because Sharon, who is now four months pregnant, had been having complications. She'd been labeled as "high-risk" because they couldn't get her blood pressure under control.

"That's good. You scared me for a minute. Yeah, we're still up. Jordan's just about to get in the shower. Want me to go get him? Oh, ok. No, I don't mind. I'll leave the door unlocked." Angela says goodbye to Shane before ending the call.

Pausing the TV, she heads upstairs. In her bedroom, she grabs her robe off the chair and slips her arms into it. She can hear the water running, but the shower hadn't started yet. She opened the bathroom door and stuck her head inside.

Jordan, standing naked in front of the shower, grins at her. "You gonna join me?"

"Not this time. I already had my shower, remember?" She takes a few seconds just to look at him. It never ceases to amaze her that he's actually _hers_.

"Well, did you just come to look at me then?" Jordan smirks, watching her eyes travel over him.

"What? No, I came to tell you that Shane called. He's on his way over." Her tongue darts out to wet her lips and she tucks her hair behind her ear.

"Yeah? For what? Doesn't he know what time it is?" He reaches into the shower, turning the knob.

"He said he needed to talk." She watches him step into the shower and pull the door closed.

"This time of night? Tell him I'll be down in a minute."

As Jordan ducks his head under the spray, Angela pulls the bathroom door close and heads back downstairs to wait. She curls into the corner of the sofa and tucks her robe around her before hitting the play button on the remote.

While she's listening about Marty, the three-legged dog, Shane walks in the door. Taking one look at his face, she says, "Hey, what's wrong?"

He walks into the den and flops down on the sofa beside her. "Everything."

Having known Shane for all these years, she knew he wasn't one to overreact. "What exactly do you mean by everything?"

Turning his head to look at her, he says, "I'm thinking about calling off the wedding."

Taken aback, Angela says, "What? Why? I thought everything was going great with you guys."

"So did I. She neglected to tell me that there's a possibility that I may not be the baby's father." Shane looks like he's on the verge of a breakdown.

"She told you that?" Angela is shocked. She knows that Sharon is really in love with Shane. She finds it hard to believe that she'd cheat on him.

"I overheard her say that she didn't know if she should go through with the wedding until she was certain the baby is mine." He scrubbed his hand over his face. "Angela, why didn't she just tell me? When she first found out she was pregnant?"

"Shane, I'm so sorry. I swear I had no idea." Taking his hand in hers, she says, "Does she know that you overheard her?"

"No. I called you just a few minutes after I found out. She was in the bedroom. Me and the twins were in the basement playing video games." With a deep sigh, he closes his eyes. "I told the boys I was heading up to bed. I got as far as the hallway when I heard her talking on the phone."

"What are you gonna do? Are you gonna tell her you know? Just come out and say it?" Angela's brow creases with worry. "She shouldn't get upset. Not right now."

"Ang, I know. That's why I left. I don't want to upset her." Turning to face her, he says, "But I can't just pretend like I don't know. Dammit, this is so hard."

"Do you love her? I mean, I know you think you're in love with her, or you wouldn't have asked her to marry you. But do you love her enough to accept the baby if it isn't yours?" Angela watched the emotions play over his face. It hurt her to know that another one of her friends could do this to him.

"See, that's the thing. I want this baby to be mine more than anything. The thought that it might not be is killing me." Shoving his fingers into his eye sockets, he says, "Jesus! What the hell am I supposed to do? Do I stay with her, wait it out, and then find out the baby isn't mine?"

"Is that what you want to do?" She waits as Shane thinks about it.

"I don't know. I do know that I can't marry her right now. Not with this between us." Shane drops his head into his hands. "I do love her, but I don't know if I can be with her if we find out it's not my baby. Is that wrong of me?"

Angela puts her arm around him. "No, it's not wrong. No one will blame you. She should have been up front with you instead of leading you on."

Shane relaxes against her side, letting his head rest on her shoulder. "Red, I don't want you to chose sides in this, ok? She's gonna need you."

"Shane, she's got plenty of people that she can depend on. It's my right if I want to get pissed off at her." And Angela was very pissed off at Sharon at the moment. "I told her before this thing ever started that if she hurt you, I would kick her ass. When this baby is born, I'm gonna make good on my promise."

Even though Shane is upset, he chuckles. "I believe you will, too."

Jordan walks into the den, his hair wet, dressed only in sweat pants. Seeing Shane in Angela's embrace, he rolls his eyes. "What the hell, Shane? Get off my wife."

When Shane moves to get up, Angela holds him in place. "Be nice, Jordan."

"I thought he came over to talk. Not to get cozy with you on the sofa." Jordan flops down in the recliner, eying the two of them. The two people closest to him in the whole world. He can see how troubled Shane is and he can tell that Angela was feeling protective of him. She was obviously trying to comfort him.

"What's going on?" Jordan asks, looking between the two of them.

"Angela is threatening to kick Sharon's ass." Shane smiles in spite of his heartache.

Sharing a look with his wife, Jordan says, "Yeah. I remember a certain conversation where that may or may not have been mentioned. So what did she do?"

"She slept with someone else and now she doesn't know if the baby is Shane's." Angela tightens her hold on Shane. "If she wasn't pregnant, I'd go give her a piece of my mind."

"How do you know that? Did she tell you?" Jordan questions.

Never lifting his head, Shane says, "No. I heard her telling her mom on the phone that she didn't know if she should go through with the wedding until she knew."

"If it's not yours, whose is it?" Jordan asks, frowning.

Shane looks over to meet Jordan's eyes. "Hell, I don't know. I didn't stick around to find out."

"What are you gonna do? You gonna call it off?" Jordan watched his friend close his eyes.

"I think so. Or at least postpone it. I can't marry her not knowing." Shane sighs wearily.

Jordan watches Angela stroke Shane's hair. He knew in that moment that if it come down to choosing between Shane and Sharon, Angela would chose Shane. Despite the fact that Sharon had been her closet friend since childhood, Shane was like a big brother to her. He'd been there for them, both of them, through everything.

Getting up from the chair, Jordan walks over to the sofa. Standing in front of Angela, he says, "Slide over." Angela and Shane both look up at him. He nudges her knee. "Slide over," he says again.

Shane slides down, then so does Angela. Jordan sits in the spot Angela had just vacated. He pulls Angela into his side and puts his arm around her neck. When she's settled against him, he says to Shane, "Since you're staying here tonight, get comfortable. It'll be just like old times."

As Jordan picks up the remote, flipping through the channels, Shane says, "I probably should go home. Well, back to Sharon's. She doesn't even know I left."

"You can stay here. You've slept in our guest room before." Angela picks up her phone from the coffee table and types out a text to Sharon letting her know that Shane was with them and staying the night. "See, it's all taken care of. We'll deal with it all tomorrow."

"You're sure you don't mind?" Shane asks, looking uncertain.

"Shut up, Shane. Of course we don't mind. What kind of question is that?" Angela pulls him against her side, much the way she was laying against Jordan.

"I just don't want you guys to think I'm putting you in the middle of all this." Shane turns his body so that he's laying on his back. Resting his head on Angela's lap, he dangles his legs over the arm or the sofa.

"You aren't putting us in the middle of anything. You know we're here for you when you need us." Stopping on the Tonight Show, Jordan lays the remote down and reaches over to pull his hair. "If you hadn't come to us, I'd have been pissed."

"Shane, stop worrying about it. Sharon screwed up. Not you." Stroking his hair again, Angela leans her head against Jordan's. "Whatever you decide to do, we'll stand by you."

"This seems like a nightmare. Just a few hours ago, I was thinking about buying a house down the street from here. Painting the nursery, putting a crib together. I was thinking about what it would be like to hold my baby in my arms. There's a good chance that none of that will happen." Turning his face toward the TV so that they don't see him cry, Shane closes his eyes and lets the tears fall.

Angela and Jordan sit quietly with him, letting him get it all out. Jordan pulls Angela tightly against him, kissing her forehead as she continues to comfort Shane. They watch as Jay Leno interviews one guest, then the other. As the musical guest, some band they'd never heard of, performs their new song to end the show, Shane turns his head tilting it back to look at Jordan.

Wrinkling his nose, he says, "God, this sucks. Where do they find these people?"

"These days anybody can get a record deal. They don't even have to have talent." Jordan cringes as the lead singer tries to hit a high note. "Were we ever that bad?"

Angela shakes her head. "Not after you started singing. I don't know how you were before then."

Shane swings his legs around to the floor and sits up. Settling beside Angela, he says, "Tino wasn't half bad. But that one time Joey decided that Graff needed to sing lead was a disaster. I don't think we ever really got any practice in. And then we had to play vertigo that next night."

Jordan groans. "That was horrible. All she could do was stand there and bounce up and down, nodding her head."

"Hey, it turned out great, though. If she hadn't screwed up, then you'd have never tried to sing lead. And Residue would have never come about," Angela reminds him.

As the credits roll, Angela pushes up from the sofa. "Ok, boys. I'm going up to bed. My little alarm clock will wake up in just over 6 hours, so I need to get some sleep."

"I'm gonna sit down here with Shane for a bit. I'll be up in a few minutes," Jordan says to her as she bends over to kiss him.

Shane stands up and pulls her into his arms. He hugs her tightly before kissing her cheek. "Thank you, Angela. For being there for me and for letting me stay."

"I'm so sorry that you're hurting this way." Angela cups his cheek and looks into his eyes. "You know I love you."

"Yeah, I know. I love you, too." He smiles at her and says, "Why can't I just find a girl like you? If you weren't so in love with that dumb ass over there, I'd make you run away with me. We'd be so good together."

"See, I'm sitting right here. You have no shame, Shane." Jordan gives him a dirty look. "You better be glad that I know you're joking. I'd hate to have to kick your ass while you're feeling so shitty."

Grinning at Jordan, Shane hugs Angela again. "Just remember, Red. If you get tired of him, I'll be here."

Laughing, Angela pulls away. "Don't provoke him, Shane." She leans over to kiss Jordan again. "Don't worry, babe. I love him like a brother. You're the only guy for me."

She calls good night to them and heads up the stairs. After watching Angela leave, Jordan turns to Shane. "Are you really ok?"

"Yeah, I will be. I still can't believe it. I thought this was it, you know?" Shane shakes his head. "As much as I want this baby to be mine, I'm worried that she may take Vinnovich back. I think she was seeing him behind my back while we were in LA."

"So the baby may be his?" Jordan is still trying to make sense of it all. "You said you didn't know who the other guy is."

Shane looks at his lap, then back up at Jordan. "Well, I didn't want to say in front of Angela. You know, since Sharon is her oldest friend, but it wasn't Camille that Sharon was talking to. It was Kyle."

"You could have told her that, Shane. 'Cause if it came down to her choosing between you guys, she'd choose you." Jordan doesn't like the idea that Shane would intentionally mislead Angela.

"I don't want her to have to choose. That's why I never said anything about Rayanne. I don't want her to have to choose between one of her best friends and me." Shane scowls at Jordan. "She shouldn't have to."

"Well, don't expect me to keep it from her. And it's her choice, you should let her make it." Jordan punches Shane in the arm. "Don't do this again. Don't try to protect her that way. She's gonna be pissed."

"Forget about that for a minute." Shane turns to face Jordan, his bent knee resting on the sofa. "What if this baby _is_ mine? Am I gonna be able to forget that she slept with him again?"

"Do you love her?" Jordan asks him.

"Yes, I do love her. And as hurt and angry as I am, I kind of understand." Looking Jordan straight in the eye, he explains. "She's been with him for a long time. Longer than even you and Red. It's all she's ever known. And in the beginning, we weren't serious. We made no promises. When I found out she was pregnant, I freaked out. Then the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I did care about her. It wasn't just something residual from high school."

"If it isn't yours?"

"Then I guess I'll deal with that when the time comes." Shane looks at his friend. "Because I want so bad for it to be mine. That's why I don't want Angela to hate Sharon. I pray that this all works out."

Jordan nods in understanding. "Ok. So you talk to Sharon and you guys postpone the wedding until you find out. Since she's already having complications, it would probably be best to wait until the baby's born to do a paternity test. Are you sure you can handle getting closer to her, to the boys and the baby? Five months is a long time to wait."

"I don't have a choice, do I? The way I see it, she's with me now. She loves me and I love her. There's a 50/50 chance that it is my baby. Should I just forget about it until it's born? I don't think I can." Shane gets up from the sofa. "I think I'm ready to go lay down."

Jordan stands up with him. Grabbing Shane, he pulls him into a hug. "It's all going to be fine."

"I hope so, Jay. I really hope so." Shane hugs him back before letting him go. "Thanks, man."

"No need to thank me. That's what family is for, right?" Jordan claps Shane on the back and walks with him up the stairs. At the top, he says, "Get some sleep."

Shane slips into the guest room and shuts the door behind him. Jordan continues down the hall to his bedroom. Stripping down to his boxers, he pulls the covers back and slides in next to Angela. Pulling her against him, he wraps his arm around her waist and kisses her on the shoulder.

"He ok?" she asks him.

"He will be." As she snuggles back against him, he says, "G'night, Red. I love you."

"I know you do," she says, before the both drift off to sleep.

**I know it's been a while...I missed them so much I had to pay them a visit! :) Review please!**


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